Naruto: The Way of the Ninja
by A. Crane
Summary: He's been betrayed by his best friends, he's hunted down by evil mercenaries, and his inner demon is taking over him. When Naruto's life grows dark, his new found crush will shed light on him and make him find strength he never imagined. NaruHina
1. Chapter 1: The Sweetest Thing

_**A NARUTO FAN FICTION STORY:**_

_**THE WAY OF THE NINJA**_

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto

Hey, Naruto Lovers!

_I'm Arturo Garza from Monterrey, Mexico. __Here's my first ever Fan Fiction story. This isn't just a NaruHina story, it's also like a full blown Naruto epic. Preventing a secret invasion, withstanding the power of the demon inside him…, and trying to get closer to his newfound crush! All in a day's work for everyone's hyperactive knucklehead ninja (Other great anime: Bleach, Inuyasha, and Cowboy Bebop). We also have a little SasuSaku in the mix. The story starts out three years after Sasuke leaves the village to find Orochimaru. We'll see Naruto and friends all grown up. Since this is my first fanfic ever, I want to know what you think. I've been thinking about it for several months. Hope you enjoy!_

_CHAPTER 1: THE SWEETEST THING_

'Wow, I never knew that the view up here would be so beautiful! Do you come here a lot, Naruto?' asked Hinata while standing next to the spiky haired ninja.

'Yeah, I come here sometimes to watch the sun go down… or when I need to think,' Naruto answered. 'It's one of those places that really make you feel lucky about living here.'

'Yes, you're right. You know, it's kind of funny that I've been living in the village all my life but I've never thought about coming up here. It was a great idea, don't you think?'

'Of course,' Naruto blushed a little at Hinata's response.

Both ninjas were standing at the top of Hokage Mountain, enjoying the magnificent view before their eyes. The sun was setting, turning the blue sky into a vivid mixture of orange and yellow. The entire village of Konoha could be seen from where they were standing. Most shops were starting to light their lamps. The treetops from the forest on the horizon were visible from that point as well. It was the most magnificent view the both of them had ever seen.

'Well, what is it?' asked a shy Hinata as he eyed the blonde ninja. He turned around with a questionable look.

'What do you mean, Hinata?'

'I mean… you brought me here for a reason, didn't you?' She said while nervously playing with her index fingers in front of her, one of Hinata's well-known habits when Naruto was around. The Shinobi grinned sheepishly and placed his hand on the back of his head. Hinata could tell he was nervous about something. He mumbled to himself for a short while and inhaled sharply.

'Are you all right?' Hinata asked with concern.

'Oh, yeah I'm fine. It's just that…well,' he paused briefly before continuing 'Look Hinata, I'm not very good with words, but here goes.' Hinata let out a short, quiet gasp. Naruto's eyes, blue as a cloudless sky, glowed with the light in the pre-dusk sky and drifted towards the horizon. He took a solemn tone, but still sounded happy.

'I'll cut right to the chase, Hinata. I don't know why, but I trust you more than anyone in this village.'

'Really? Why?' Hinata seemed surprised by his words despite having an idea on what was he going to say.

'I don't know. Maybe it's because no one has ever been so nice to me as you have.' As he spoke, the kunoichi smiled and her eyes drifted downward while her face turned crimson red. 'You don't really mean that, do you?'

'What's wrong?' Naruto asked, standing a few inches away from Hinata.

'Yes, I do.' Naruto was looking right into Hinata's pearl blue eyes. She could feel him walking closer to her. She thought of stepping back but felt like her feet where nailed to the ground. She gulped and put her arms in front of herself.

'Something wrong?' Naruto asked.

'Oh…I…well…It's nothing. Sorry. Please continue.' She said struggling. She put her arms down again. It was hard to contain her nervousness.

'Ok, as I was saying, I don't know if it's just in your nature to be a good, kind person or whatever,' Naruto continued talking, 'but either way, it's pretty cool.' Hinata gasped and felt her heart flip as she tried to process those words in her head. 'He thinks I'm…COOL?' She thought to herself. Now her face was red hot.

'Anyway Hinata,' Naruto turned around and faced the village below again, 'these last few days have been something priceless. I had no idea I could have so much fun hanging out with you. We can go anywhere and have a good time without any problem whatsoever. I can have a perfectly good conversation with you without you saying stuff like 'you're annoying' or 'you're such a loser' or 'go away, you freak.' And when we train together, it really pays off. I actually have fun working out or practicing complicated jutsus. Thanks to you, I have better Chakra control. Thanks to you, I'm a better fighter than I thought I was. You have been just awesome.'

He paused for a moment, trying to think on what to say next and how to say it. He knew he had to do this right, even if he had no idea how. Hinata's heart felt like it was going to burst from the speed it was thumping her chest at.

'Hinata' he faced her again, looking into her eyes, so full of kindness, happines, and beauty, 'I can tell I was missing out on a lot of things when we were just kids at the Academy. Maybe if I had thought about reaching out to you back then, maybe life wouldn't have been so hard for me. ' He stopped once again. The Hyuga girl couldn't take any more of the overwhelming excitement building up inside of her.

'Remember back when I was going to fight Neji in the Chunin exams?' Hinata nodded in agreement. She was playing with her fingers again. 'I've been thinking a lot about it, and looking back on it know, I don't think I would have won the match if I hadn't run-in with you before I got there.'

'What?' Hinata asked looking very surprised again. 'Please Naruto, you're being too modest. You didn't need me to win. You're one of the strongest ninja I've ever met. In fact, I think you could even go against my Father someday.' She continued shyly.

'Yeah, I would really like to do that someday,' said Naruto laughing while throwing his arms behind his neck. His laughter was quickly silenced, 'but seriously, Hinata,' He was talking more slowly. He too was very nervous, 'You have changed my life.' Those words echoed loud and deep inside Hinata's mind. Both her hands were resting on her chest, feeling her own heartbeat. She knew she was important to Naruto, but not that important.

'Unlike anyone else in this village, you have always believed in me, motivated me when I felt like giving up, giving me strength to keep moving forward, no matter how many times I screwed up. Not even Iruka-Sensei gave me such high hopes. You've inspired me to become better each and every day. You truly have made me better.' Hinata's mind was a huge blank. She was completely speechless at the words of the ninja at her side. She was struggling to don't let the tears forming on her eyes to star rolling down her face. Naruto turned around and grabbed her hand. Hinata felt like fainting but managed to keep it together.

'Hinata Hyuga, you are the coolest person I've ever met.' Hinata Hyuga? Coolest person? Hinata felt like screaming, but made a strong effort to contain it.

'You're smart, brave, kind, thoughtful, happy, you give great advice, you're an amazing fighter, your cooking is awesome, and to top it all of, you're very beautiful.'

'Naruto, please!' Hinata walked back and giggled bashfully. 'You're making me blush!' She took a deep breath before she slowly spoke, 'Do you really…do you really think all that about me?'

'Of course,' he answered as he took the Hyuga's heiress' hands.

They were now standing so close together, even Naruto was starting to feel the heat, 'which is why I would be deeply honored if you say 'yes' to the following question.' He inhaled and exhaled deeply. He was getting just as nervous as the girl in front of him.

'Hinata Hyuga, I love you…more than anything.' Hinata felt her heart was going to explode at these words. 'Will you be my girl?' There was only silence for a few seconds.

Hinata looked down to her hands. They were being held by the man she always dreamed of being with someday, the man who she had always wished the best for and prayed that one day she would be the woman he would be with the rest of his life. His touch was warm and sincere. She felt her fear slowly going away. Her tears were now rolling down her face. She looked back up towards Naruto, who was still waiting for an answer.

'Yes.' That was the only word she thought of saying. 'Yes, I will be your girl…Naruto Uzumaki.' The next thing she knew she was tightly wrapped around Naruto's arms. Hinata couldn't fight the feeling inside her anymore as well. She knew she had to hug him back. After a hug that felt that lasted forever, the couple finally looked back at each other. Hinata looked deep into her loved one's clear blue eyes, full of so many wonderful emotions like, strength, courage, pride, kindness, and love. She found herself getting closer and closer to his face. She closed her eyes. The next second seemed to last forever. It was their first kiss. Neither ninja thought that feeling someone else's tongue against yours could be so romantic. It was so wonderful.

After what seemed to be hours, the two separated. The couple was smiling strongly at each other. Hinata loved Naruto's smile, but this time he looked happier than ever. 'Right now. I must be the most important person in the whole world.' Naruto said.

Darkness had fallen over the Village of the Hidden Leaf. A thick blanket of dark storm clouds blocked the moon and the stars. Everyone had gone inside their homes with the fear of the coming rain. All but one man was walking on the streets that night. A tall man dressed completely in black that looked almost invisible in the dark weather. His spiky, blonde locks covered the Leaf Village symbol in his headband. His sky blue eyes looked to the ground in exhaustion. Several scratches and deep cuts were on his arms. The pain was slowly worn away as the wounds seemed to heal by themselves. The ninja had just returned from a mission, a rough one apparently. He arrived at his apartment as the rain started to pour outside. The faraway glow of lightning was getting brighter and the low growling of thunder was becoming louder. He locked the door behind him and slowly walked towards his bedroom. He slipped off his sandals with his feet, landing on the floor with a quiet thud. His hand reached for the light switch, but stopped suddenly. A quiet breathing was coming from his bed. The silhouette of a woman lay underneath the bed sheets. The man slowly walked towards the sleeping beauty, turning on a few dim lights along the way. The woman on his bead was truly gorgeous. Long, dark locks that shined with the lightning flash through the window curtains and skin white as snow. The young man stroked her hair softly and smiled. She looked so enchanting even in her sleep. The feeling of his hand on her hair slowly waked the dormant kunoichi. Her eyes opened slowly, revealing her enchanting eyes.

'N-N-Naruto?' Hinata asked, still half asleep. 'Sorry I'm late,' answered the shinobi, 'The mission took a bit longer than expected. We had to take a little detour in the Land of Tea for supplies after Shikamaru lost them. He was supposed to watch them while Choji, Kiba and I were getting some information on our target on a nearby village. He fell asleep and someone saw the opportunity to walk in and have his share.' Now he was sitting on t0068e edge of the bed, stroking his girlfriend's hair with his left hand and slowly sliding it to her face, stroking her cheek, softly.

'It's late. Your father must be worried, don't you think?'

'I don't care,' said Hinata, looking more awake, 'I was worried about you. I had to wait for you until you came back.' Naruto chuckled softly. 'Much appreciated Hinata, but seriously, your father will kill us if you don't go home now. We can do this tomorrow night.'

'My father thinks I left on a mission today.' I won't be going back home for at least a week.'

'Wow. Good one, but you don't have to do this. I want you to be safe and if your dad catches us, we'll be-'

He couldn't finish. He felt his train of speech was lost, the heat in his face was rising, and his heartbeat and breathing were intensifying. His eyes were blown wide open as he observed Hinata slowly sliding off the covers to reveal a little surprise for Naruto. She was stripped down only to her undergarments, a scarlet cotton brassiere with matching panties. She rose from the bed and stood in front of Naruto. The astonished ninja couldn't help but to stare at her succulent, perfect figure. Physically, Hinata had what any man would want on a girl. She wasn't as slender as others, but was still very generously proportioned. He kept examining her slowly from top to bottom until her eyes met his. He stood up and held her hands. It was as if they were talking among themselves without ay words but they each new the message perfectly.

'Please Naruto,' Hinata begged, 'it was three years today when we had our first kiss. We are now both 18. They can't do anything to us now if they find out we…' even after her sexy surprise, she still felt a little embarrassed to finish that sentence. Naruto smiled warmly, tightening his grasp on Hinata's hand.

'You're worried your father might find out, right?' She nodded. The girl started to feel her loved ones arms wrap around her back. 'Look into your heart. Do what you think will make you more happy.' Hinata looked into him. His eyes were shining with the increasing blast of lightning outside. On his face, a seductive smile was drawn. She didn't think twice. She wrapped her own arms around her man and they both embraced in their most passionate kiss ever. A kiss that felt like a million years. They both dropped into bed. Hinata giggled playfully as Naruto gently kissed her neck. They continued locking lips and turning over each other. An urge of passion was flowing through them like a mighty river. Both of them didn't care anymore about what would be the consequences of their actions if anyone would find out.

They were in love. Nobody could take that away from them. The next minutes felt like an eternity. It was so sweet.

'Hinata?' The kunoichi heard a female voice ringing in her head.

'Hinata?' The voice grew louder and louder until it was the only thing she could hear. In a flash, the scene in front of her eyes vanished and Hinata was lying on her own bed with covers over her head. It was Hanabi who had awakened her from her most romantic dream ever.

Hinata tried to ignore her little sister's voice calling her until she eventually lifted the covers to reveal the dark haired girl curled up around her pillow. She was trying as hard as she could to stay in that sweet fantasy, but soon realized she was just forcing it for no reason.

'Come on, it's almost 11:00. Time to get up!' Hanabi continued. Hinata finally gave up and opened her eyes. She was blinded by the intense sunlight cracking through her bedroom curtains. She rubbed them hard and blinked as she explored her room looking very confused. No longer was she inside the brick walls of Naruto's apartment. The walls in her room were smooth and wooden. Her room's sliding doors were dark blue, and in front of them was an old, but beautifully woven floor mat. A full body mirror was in the corner, next to her closet. On the other corner, cabinets with Hinata's ninja gear, makeup, and other of her personal belongings was found. The window had purple curtains and it was right above her bed. It was so familiar, yet it felt so strange to be there. Her dream was so sweet, it almost felt real.

'Father expects you for lunch at noon. Better start getting dressed,' said Hanabi as she left Hinata's room, sliding the door shut behind her. Hinata stepped put of bed clumsily and slowly walked towards her bedroom mirror. She was looking a bit more awake as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Many thoughts were flying around her head like crazy. It was hard to think about a single thing at a time. She slowly reached for her pajamas' blouse and pulled it over her head to reveal her sculptured body. She pulled down her pants and observed the long paor of legs coming out if her. Hinata stared at her reflection deeply. It was hard for her to believe she looked that good. She imagined that Naruto was in her room right now. What would she do? The girl simply smiled at herself in the mirror and started to make sultry poses at herself imagining that the Ninja of her dreams was watching her in action.

Hinata stopped checking herself out until she felt she had enough. She opened her closet doors and pulled out a black blouse, her jacket, and some pants. After getting dressed, she grabbed a wooden brush and gently straightened out her long, dark, raven hair. She opened one of her drawers and pulled out some makeup.

She normally didn't wear any makeup at all, but sometimes, she enjoyed feeling pretty. Today, she only powdered her nose and her cheeks. She was ready to start her day. She picked up her blue sandals beside her door and put them on, ready to go down for breakfast. As she slid the door open, she looked back towards her bedside table, where she keeps her diary. She felt like she needed to meditate on her bizarre dream.

She slid the door close and reached for the drawer. Hinata pulled out a small, dark purple notebook, with tiny white flowers drawn around it. She opened it to the last blank page and started to write:

_Saturday, September 22_

_Dear Diary:_

_Last night, I dreamt about Naruto again. I really enjoyed it but something felt very strange. Sure, any dream with Naruto in it is like being in paradise, but this felt a little different. Normally, all that happens in a dream about me and him is just us holding hands, talking, going for walks, going to places, having fun, or just holding each other embracing ourselves in a kiss. But this time, my dream was a lot more…well…dirty. First I pictured how our first kiss would be, which was SO amazing, but then, everything changed. I was being sexy. I was trying to seduce Naruto. We were going to have sex. I never felt such passion and longing for my Naruto like his before. It's completely new to me. Thinking about that dream makes my heart pound intensely at my chest, which is common when I think of him. Only this time, it was stronger than before. Could it be my feelings for him are intensifying? _

_Oh, if only he knew how I felt. If only he knew he's the guy I think about every day, the one I admire most,__ the one for who I have always wished the best for, the one I prey for every night, the guy who has done so much for me and I would never be able to pay him back. I sometimes like to think about my future. I see myself as Mrs. Uzumaki. We are both very happy, but then are days were I picture myself growing old and lonely watching him share his love with somebody else because I wasn't brave enough to tell him how I felt about him. What if I never get an opportunity? What if I did tell him and he turned me down?_

_OK, this is no time for misery. I have to straighten out my act. I need to think better about myself, increase my self-esteem. Then again, what if I tell him and he doesn't like me back? _

_I know he has always liked Sakura, despite the fact she's in love with Sasuke, even though he ran off with Orochimaru. Sakura is very beautiful. Does Naruto find me beautiful? I mean, I am curvy, maybe not as slender as others, but still nice. My breasts are big, but not too big. I have long legs and my butt is cute.__ My skin may be pale, but I think that looks very good on me. I have to admit I'm pretty sexy. I have let my hair grow out and I have a pretty face. My Father says I am beautiful, but he's not just looking at me with a father's eyes. Everyone in the Hyuga clan agrees that I will be a beautiful ruler when my time comes. _

_But what about me as a person? I must admit I'm shy and introverted and Naruto finds that weird sometimes, but sometimes being myself has really paid off when I'm with him. I'll always remember that morning when he was on his way to the Chunin Exams three years ago. He was feeling very do__wn, which isn't like him at all, but I managed to convince him that he was an incredibly strong ninja and that I knew he could win the fight against Neji. We've also have had our share of fond memories, like when me, my team, and he went off into the woods to look for a special kind of bug that was really hard to find. Naruto told me he thought my cooking was awesome and that when I get married, my husband would be pretty lucky to have that food served to him every day. Just thinking about that makes my face go all red. I'll never forget when I rescued everybody from those Insect Ninjas and everyone, including Naruto, were watching me fight. He was really impressed about my new technique. I can still feel his arms wrapped around me as I was falling to the floor because of exhaustion. One thing that really impresses him is great fighting skills. I already am very pretty, he's ok with the kind of person I am (he told me himself he actually likes people like me), and I am training hard every day to make myself better, all thanks to him. With all this going for me, my dream may become a reality. With all this potential, there's a better chance I'll finally be with the love of my life…_


	2. Chapter 2: Wrathchild

Hey, how's it going!? It's Chapter 2 time. Some of you may notice the title is different as originally intended, but you'll find out it suits the chapter better. This takes place about two weeks after Ch. 1. This episode is rated for violence. Cue the heavy metal music!

**CHAPTER 2: WRATHCHILD**

'He's advancing! Don't let him get away!' A loud shout rang in Naruto's ears. Hidden Leaf Village Jonin were surrounding him, ready to attack. They stood perfectly still, waiting for him to make his move. Naruto felt as if something inside of him that has been bottled up for two long had been let out. Something unlike anything he had ever felt before. Something so powerful, it was starting to take control over him. A thirst for blood.

He felt that his senses had become sharper. He could smell the blood in the air, and the fear of the surrounding ninja. His eyes had turned a bloodshot red. They could see everything around him very clearly. His fingernails had grown into long, sharp claws. They were dripping with fresh blood, probably someone else's. His teeth had grown in length and sharpness, especially his canines, like the fangs of a wild beast. His heart was beating strongly and his breathing was racing. He could hear a voice inside his head. A dark, sinister voice.

'_Kill them. Kill them all_,' said the voice. '_You know you want to. Make them pay for what they've done to us!_' It was a force so mysterious yet so familiar to Naruto. Many thoughts were rushing through his mind. He was afraid of this power. This power was seductive, yet it could feel that it was corrupting him, turning him into something he wasn't. He was transforming into a monster. But what scared him the most…he liked it.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto dashed toward the surrounding ninja at an unbelievable speed. He felt his claws shredding through the flesh of a Jonin in front of him. His death was quick, yet painful. Other Jonin immediately jumped toward him with Kunais ready for throwing. Naruto heard them coming. He quickly turned around and drove his claws into their chests right before they made contact. It was too late for them to react. Naruto's hands were soaked with the blood of his victims.

'_Yes. Very good_,' the voice inside of him said. Now the Jonin were coming at him in greater numbers. Some were running as fast as they could towards him. Others were setting up a barrier jutsu around the area to lock him in. '_Are you really going to let them do that to you_?'

Naruto raised his hands to his chest to make a hand sign.

_Shadow Clone Jutsu!_

Naruto was surrounded by a puff of white smoke. Many of his clones came out of it, each targeting a different ninja. Screams of pain filled the air as the clones executed the lives of these warriors in a matter of seconds. Nothing would stop his terrible rampage.

Then, there was silence. It was almost a little awkward. How could it be that all of a sudden nobody was trying to attack him? Could it be that he had killed everyone in the village? Impossible! He looked around. All that remained from the Hidden Leaf Village was a pile of rubble. In the night sky, fire was burning brightly. All but a few buildings had been leveled. The faces on Hokage Mountain had been obliterated. This truly was the end of the once great Konoha.

Naruto walked around looking for surviving victims, but among the shattered houses and shops, all that were left were corpses. Many familiar faces were among the dead. Kiba, Shikamaru, Ino, Neji, Iruka, Lee…all dead. No one, not even the Hyuga clan, with their powerful Byakugan, had seen such destruction coming. '_We've done it_,' said the evil voice inside Naruto's head. '_After all these years, we've made them regret_ _what they…' _A loud crash was heard several feet behind him. A fist had punched out of the ruble. A ninja rose from the rubble slowly, yet weakily. He was struggling to breathe. Naruto recognized him. He would always cover his face with a mask. He had long, messy, pointed platinum hair dropping on his face. His headband would drop to the side covering his eye. This time though, his headband was missing. Naruto could see both his eyes. His normal eye and his red and black Sharingan eye. Barely alive, Kakashi Hatake was going to fight till the end to bring evil being in front of him down, even if it meant killing his old disciple.

'_Well, well, well,' _said Naruto in a mocking tone. His voice was distorted and deep. _'If it isn't the famous Copy Ninja.'_ Kakashi didn't answer. He just lowered both his hands in front of him and made a hand sign Naruto found very familiar. The sound of a thousand birds chirping rang in his ears. In Kakashi's palms, chakra started to violently pour out of them, forming thunderbolts. It was Kakashi's most well-known Jutsu, the famed thunder blade, Chidori.

'_Oh, please.' _The voice laughed at Kakashi's attempt at taking him down. This time, Naruto felt that his body was moving on its own. He no longer had any control of himself anymore. The evil soul inside of him was now in command. Naruto raised his arm in front of him with his palm facing upward. A small ball of red chakra was formed in the center of it, slowly growing larger until it fitted his entire palm.

'How dare you use the Fourth Hokage's Jutsu with your vile chakra!' Shouted Kakashi as he sprung into action and rushed as fast as he could towards the possessed ninja. His chidori was glowing intensely, cutting through the debris in his way. He wasn't going to stop. He was going to bring the demon down, even if it meant killing a fellow ninja. Naruto just smiled evilly and stood there with the Rasengan spinning wildly in his right hand. He dropped his arms, leaving him fully open for an attack. Even if he raised his hand to attack, it would be too late to react at the speed Kakashi was going at. Just a few feet away from him, the Jonin leaped forward ready to strike. The chidori on his right hand was heading straight for Naruto's chest. He didn't move. Kakashi couldn't shake the feeling he was trying to bluff him. He was ready to dodge if he used the Rasengan at the last minute. He was wrong. The demon ninja didn't use the Jutsu he had ready. Instead, he raised his left hand and held Kakashi's right hand by the wrist. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Normally the chidori could cut through human tissues, but in Naruto's case, he was holding onto the thunder blade as if it was nothing. With a quick flick, he twisted Kakashi's wrist and broke it. He screamed in pain as the Chidori slowly withered away. He was right were Naruto wanted him. He raised his right hand and pressed the Rasengan against Kakashi's heart. He was thrown back violently, screaming. He crashed into the remains of a nearby apartment building. The crash caused what was left of it to fall over him.

'_That __seems appropriate for a grave.' _Said the possessed Naruto, _'Copy THAT…puny human.'_

The ground started to tremble. In the distance, a loud crashing sound was heard. It was the sound of trees being crushed. An enormous silhouette rose from the treetops far away. It was a powerful presence Naruto knew already. He chucked evilly as the giant drew closer and closer. In a split second, the silhouette leaped high into the air and landed several feet away from Naruto. The earth quacked at the massive weight of the creature. It was the mighty Gamabunta, the chief toad. As always, he held a smoking pipe in his mouth and by his side was a sheathed katana.

The expression on his face was grumpier and meaner than usual. He looked down towards the ninja with rage burning in his eyes. On top of his head, standing, was the Toad Sage himself, one of the three legendary Sannin, and a good friend of Naruto. But this time, his usual boasting, goofy, confident expression was completely erased from his face. He was ready to bring down the monster, even if it meant killing Naruto too.

'_What?' _said Naruto, _'You want to die too?'_

'Leave Naruto alone!' shouted Jiraiya, 'You truly are the lowest of the low. Killing an entire civilization someone else's body!

'_Don't worry. You'll be joining them shortly.'_

'Don't you know who I am?' asked Jiraiya, 'I was the Fourth Hokage's trainer. It's because you that he' gone. I'll make you pay for what you've done to him and everyone else!'

He made several rapid hand signs while Garabunta took a deep breath. From his mouth, a large stream of oil pored out. Jiraiya took his hand to his mouth and blew on it. A fireball blew out, sinking into the oil coming out of the Chief Toad's mouth. The oil raining down on Naruto turned into a storm of fire that surrounded him completely. Jiraiya could see he didn't move at all as he was lost in the sea of flames. When Garabunta's oil ran out, he and the Sannin stared at the fire at his feet. There was no sign of life.

'Could it be this is over?' Garabunta asked.

'No,' said Jiraiya,' this was a bit too easy. It feels like...'

He was interrupted as the fire below him started to spread uncontrollably and rose from the ground below. It formed a large sphere floating in the air. It slowly rose to Jiraiya's eye level. His jaw was dropping as the heat on his face intensified. He had never seen anything like this.

'Watch out!' screamed Garabunta. A large stream of fire spurted out of the ball and impacted Jiraiya with enough force to send him flying off the Chief Toad's back. He hit the ground and just stayed there, burning motionless, lifeless.

'JIRAIYA!' screamed Garabunta at the sight of his dead comrade. His attention was quickly focused again on the ball of fire, which seemed to start taking a shape. A long extension sprouted from the front, like the snout of a wild beast, full of long, cruel fangs. Two white spots among the burning yellow and red seemed to represent the eyes of a monster. A body and legs sprouted as well. Each leg ended with a paw with sharp, fiery claws coming out of them.

Nine tails sprang from the back of the figure, each of them waving wildly in the wind, spreading large embers all around, causing the woods nearby to burn rapidly. Garabunta's mouth opened wide in fear. His pipe hit the ground with a loud thud. He was paralyzed at the ferocious beast before him. The creature growled and sprang at the toad, showering him in flames. He screamed as the fire burned him deep. He jumped wildly in the air trying to shake the demon off, but it was no use. He sank his long claws into his legs. The toad moaned in pain and collapsed into the fallen buildings. The demon opened wide and bit Garabunta right in the neck. He felt the fiery, sharp fangs cutting deep into his throat. There was nothing he could do as life slowly started to abandon him. With his last bit of strength, he tried to get up, but his body failed him. He gave up as his head crashed on the floor, dead.

The fiery monster backed off and circled his victim. Slowly, the fire started to extinguish and the monster vanished. Naruto was back to a human demon form. He cackled loudly as he watched over Jiraiya's burning corpse and Gamabunta, the powerful Chief Toad, defeated for good.

'_You weren't even worth killing.' _Said Naruto as he walked away from them, _'You really disappoint me._'

The only sound that could be heard now was the crackling of the fire on the treetops. There was something very pleasing in that silence. Not a voice or scream was now heard. Naruto realized this, but he still was unsatisfied. He knew that among the ruins there was someone in hiding, someone he hadn't killed. Someone who he hated for everything he went through because of that person. He sniffed around and readied his ears, searching the area for any sign of life. After several minutes of circling the piles of debris, he stopped. He grunted in frustration as he started his search again. He was about to quit again when he heard a faint shout. It came from behind him, in the distance. Naruto recognized that shout. It could only belong to one person. He slowly walked towards the wreckage were that person lay buried. A large, evil smile was drawn on his face, showing his large white canines. Nothing was going to stop him. As he drew closer though, he caught another familiar presence behind him, and it was coming in on him fast. He turned around to find out if that person was who he thought it was, but before he could turn around, a kunai was driven right through his heart. Naruto looked down to the wound. It was nothing to him.

He turned around to face who was foolish enough to try to kill him in that state. It was the Fifth Hokage in the flesh, Tsunade.

Blood was dripping from her face and she was panting with effort. Her eyes were fixed on him. Naruto had never seen her that angry. Her eyes looked like they were about to be set on fire and she was growling fiercely. That wasn't enough to intimidate the monster inside Naruto.

'_I should have known you wouldn't-', _before he could finish, Tsunade's rock hard fist slammed right into his left cheek. Her other fist followed as she brutally tried to bring him down with her own two hands. Strong blows that could level an entire building came at the ninja with tremendous speed and strength.

'I BELIEVED IN YOU!' shouted the legendary Sannin as she continued delivering punches, 'I TRUSTED YOU! I BELIEVED YOU COULD HAVE BEEN HOKAGE! NOW THEY'RE ALL DEAD! BECAUSE OF YOU!' She was ready to deliver a knockout. She paused shortly to build up strength, and then aimed right at Naruto's head. Her fist was just a few inches away when it was stopped by his hand. For him it was like catching a feather, fluttering in the wind. Tsunade gasped and stared in disbelief at how easy it was for him to block her mighty punch. The ninja chuckled as he reached for Tsunade's neck with his free hand. She choked as she was lifted off the ground. She tried to loosen his grip on her, but it was useless. Her power was nothing compared to the fury of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Naruto screamed with rage as he slammed her body right into the ground.

'_Did you really think you could overpower me? How pathetic.' _Said the demon ninja. He grabbed her by the neck and lifted her again. _'Just you wait until the world hears about my return.' _Tsunade spat at is face. He didn't even flinch. _I can see the headlines already…'_ Tsunade's death was quick and painless.With a twist of his wrist, effortlessly, broke her neck. _'NO…SURVIVORS!' _He dropped her lifeless corpse to the ground. Even dead, the expresión on Tsunade was very natural. _'Pretty ironic thing about doctors…', _said the demon ninja laughing, _'you can save the lives of others, but you cant save your own.'_

He continued walking toward the person stuck in the rubble. It was a young woman. She tried to crawl away as she saw Naruto coming. He knew her very well.

Her short pink was covering her wide forehead. One of her arms was broken and her face was covered in blood and dirt. The always cheerful Sakura Haruno lay down miserable and desperate struggling for her life. She tried to set her leg free, but the rubble was too heavy. Her strength had abandoned her. She was crying. She knew she was going to die. She felt the shinobi's hand grapple her neck and lift her up in air with great ease. She looked right at him, right into his red eyes, swirling with hatred. The expression of satisfaction on Naruto's face was gone. A frown and a severe look were now occupying its place.

'Na-Naruto…' said Sakura weakily. Her voice was breaking. Tears were sliding down her cheeks. 'Please…stop'

Naruto reached for the kunai Tsunade stabbed him with. It was still lodged in his chest. He pulled it out as if he didn't feel a thing.

'I'm sorry.' She said sobbing.

'_Where is your precious Sasuke now?' _answered Naruto as he spun the kunai in his index finger on his free hand. He stopped and held it with a strong grip. He lifted it until it met with Sakura's chest. She closed her eyes. With a loud scream, he went for the kill. She was as good as dead…

………………………………………………………

Naruto's eyes opened. He screamed as he rose from the bed. He could feel drops of sweat dotting his face. He was catching his breath as he looked around. He wasn't in his apartment. It was an unknown room. The walls and the floor were a pearly white. A pulled back curtain was beside his bed. A fan was slowly rotating on the ceiling. On the wall in front of him was a clock. It read 4 A.M. He looked down towards himself. He was dressed in a mint green robe. His headband was gone, making his long, blonde spikes fall over, covering his forehead. He assumed he was probably in a hospital.

There was a window on the wall to his right. He jumped out bed nearly breathless and pulled back on the covers. All he could distinguish in the darkness was a few lit lamps on the streets. The silhouettes of buildings were distinguishable. The faces of the Hokages were intact. It was all so peaceful in the quiet little village hidden in the Leaves. He sighed with relief. 'Just a dream.'

He looked back towards the room. Now that there was more light in the room, Naruto noticed there were dozens of flowerpots scattered around the room. There were so many, it looked more like a flower shop. He looked around the room until he found the light switch. He was briefly blinded by how it was so bright all of a sudden. His room looked like a rainbow had crashed into his. So many colors and so much variety.

'Never thought they liked me this much,' said Naruto. He grabbed the tiny card attached to the vase closest to his bed. The vase had velvet tulips. On the card it was written:

'_Hang in there. You can do it. If you make it, try not to do something like that on your own again.'_

The rest of the card was written in a different handwriting:

'_These are compliments of the house. The best I got this month. Enjoy!_

_Signed,_

_Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi_

'Nice to see you care.' Said Naruto with some satisfaction.

Another vase was beside it. This one had a big variety of wildflowers. The card attached to it said:

_What you did was__risky, yet amazing! Nothing is more impressive than your guts. Hope to see you back on your feet soon._

_Signed:_

_Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga, Tenten,_

'Hmmm, didn't see THIS coming,' said Naruto surprised.

The vase on the other side had huge yellow and purple sunflowers.

_Way to go! We didn't even think you'd make it out alive. You better be out of the hospital soon! You gotta tell us every bit of what happened!_

_Shino Abura__me, Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga,_

The next set of flowers were blue blossoms Naruto had never seen in his life.

'_No words can describe what has happened. We don't know if we should be proud or if we should be worried__. There could be something seriously wrong with you... We need to talk with you as soon as you're awake._

_Kakashi Hatake, Jiraiya, Tsunade__, Iruka Umino_

Naruto was a bit confused about what they were talking about.

The biggest vase was full of red and white roses. There were so many, Naruto got dizzy trying to count them. The card was written in an elegant, smooth handwriting:

_Dear Naruto:_

_I hope you start to feel better anytime soon. I can't wait to see you again. _

_Signed:_

_Hinata Hyuga_

'I must've really gotten to her. Can't say I blame her.'

He just smiled as he put the card down.

'Thanks, everybody.'

Beside that vase, there was a smaller one. This one had a handful of pink cherry blossoms. The vase had no note, but Naruto had an idea of who those flowers were from.

'Sorry, Sakura,' he said as he opened the bathroom door and threw the flowers in the garbage can.

'You gotta try harder.'

As he walked out the door, the blue eyed ninja noticed something in the air. Something he didn't notice before because of the smell of the flowers. It was him. He grimaced as he took a sniff of himself.

'Uhhhh…how long was I out?!'

Naruto took of his clothes and turned the hot water in the shower on. He noticed he had a few bandages beneath the robe.

'What's the point? Any wound is probably gone already.'

He took them off one by one to find nothing. Any wound that was beneath was long gone. The biggest one was a large patch over his stomach. He gently took it off to reveal the famous Dead Demon Consuming Seal, the seal of the Fourth Hokage. The only thing keeping the unimaginable horror of the Nine-Tails away from the world. It was a burden he's been carrying since the day he was born. A pretty tough burden to carry when you have lived such a short life. Naruto looked at it in the mirror in almost as in a deep meditation. There was something different about the seal that didn't seem right. Almost as if a part of it was missing, or had changed. What could be wrong with it?

'Nah, must be my imagination,' Said Naruto reassuring as he stepped into the warm water of the shower.

It felt so good to get clean once again after such a long time. He felt a little stupid as he played with the water and shook his head, throwing drops of water everywhere.

He quickly took a more serious tone as he bowed his head down, feeling the water fall against it. He was thinking about his dream. What did it mean? Could something like that really happen? Could the monster inside him become strong enough to overpower the seal and control him? Would he really bring complete destruction to the village? What if it did happen? What would others do? Would he really forget about the people he cares about and annihilate them? So many questions with very few answers.

When he was done showering, he looked around for some clean clothes. He didn't find none. The only piece of clothing he found was a bathrobe and some clean trunks. It wasn't as if he had an option. He went to the sink and turned the faucet to cold. The cool water on his face felt so refreshing. He grabbed a nearby towel and dried up. With his free hand, he wiped off the steam on the mirror. When he saw his eyes had become red and that his teeth had turned into fangs, he screamed in horror and jumped back. Was it really him what he saw there? He nervously approached the mirror panting softly. He was relieved to find nothing but his former self. From his blue sky eyes to his whisker like birthmarks, it was all Naruto. He sighed as he dropped his head down towards the sink, holding himself up with his hands.

'That's a relief.' He said more relaxed.

'_Naruto…' _he could hear a voice inside his head. It was a voice he had heard before. It was dark, sinister, and distorted. Naruto's hands started shaking as he felt cold sweat dropping from his head. His breathing was troubled and his heart was uneasy. He slowly raced his head upwards until his eyes met with those of the evil Nine-Tailed fox demon. Those horrible red eyes, those fangs like swords, and that bloodthirsty grin on his face. Naruto's was speechless as the monster in the mirror looked back at him.

His jaw was wide open, he was breathing very abruptly, and he couldn't stop shaking. He backed off quickly in fear. Was he going crazy? Was this another dream? He didn't know. All he knew was that this was very real.

_'What's the matter, boy?'_ said the demon, _'Are you afraid? Shinobis aren't supposed to show fear.' _

'You!' shouted Naruto, 'But how…?'

'_Don't act like you don't know!' _answered the demon, _'You perfectly know what happened.'_

'What are you talking about?'

'_It was right before you fell into that coma. Would you like me to refresh your memory?'_

The ninja growled in anger at his evil reflection. Apparently, he didn't want to remember what happened before he fell unconscious.

'_What? Too soon?'_

'What happened back there was none of your business!' He was starting to get angrier.

'_You mean what happened with that girl? Don't tell me you still like her after what she did to you.'_

He didn't answer. His angry frown turned into a more natural expression as he hung his head in sadness.

'_Typical human.'_

'How long have I've been in that coma?'

'_A month,' _The ninja tried not to freak out.

'What!? Why?'

'_You have to admit that after an experience like that even a powerful demon trapped inside a human's body can start to feel wakened and worn out. Of course, it was very dangerous to waste so much of my chakra in such a short time._

Naruto reflected on what he was saying. He was right. That day, he had never felt so angry, so full of rage, so full of the feeling to set his inner demons free. He felt a chill climb up his spine by just remembering it.

'What do you want?'

'_Are you just stupid, boy? I want to be free!' _he eyes of the demon widened as he spoke.

Naruto chuckled confidently 'Fat chance.'

'_Is it?' _

'What does that mean?'

'_When you looked at the seal just now, didn't you notice something seemed wrong about it?'_

A look of shock appeared in Naruto's eyes. He rapidly took off the bathrobe and observed the seal once again. It was just as he had feared.

'_That's right,' _said the fox demon with an evil smile, _'Ever since that fight, the dreaded seal holding me in place has begun to weaken at an even faster rate. It's so fast, not even the mighty Sannin can help stop it. In just a few months, I'll be free once again…AND TURN THIS VILLAGE INTO RUBLE!'_

Naruto listened in disbelief at every word he was saying. Could he be right? Could it be that not even Jiraiya, with his knowledge on controlling the seal, could stop it from happening? Could it be Tsunade might not have the right resources to keep the demon in control?

'_Everything you've ever known will cease to exist!'_

He just stood there, quiet, staring at the floor. Once again, his mind was flowing with many thoughts at once. Images of himself killing innocent victims, his friends, his mentors, everything he hold dear to, it could all go away. He saw himself, standing among the dead corpses of other ninja with the village burning behind him. His eyes were that of a monster. His hands and clothes were splattered in blood. That was him, and he was scary. Wouldn't he be strong enough to subdue the demon's power? As far as he knew, it was only up to him to hold him back for as long as he could.

Anger was back in his eyes. He glared fiercely at the reflection in the mirror.

'No. I won't let that happen. I will NEVER let that happen!' He said, raising his voice as he spoke. The monster only laughed softly at his remark.

'_Ahhh, the tenacity of this village's ninja. It will all be in vain.'_

Naruto reached down and put on the bathrobe once again.

'_Don't look so angry,' _said the demon fox almost as if trying to comfort him, _'It's not as if you won't be getting any benefits out of this.'_

'What kind of benefit could I possibly get out of this?!'

'_I know everything you know. Everything down to the last bit of detail. I probably know more than you do since I am an ancient demon. In fact, I could be a better ninja than you are.'_

'Get to the point!'

'_Fine. I've seen how the people of this village have treated you. Instead of treating you like a hero for carrying such a heavy burden like __me, as the Fourth Hokage had instructed, they hated you for it, even if it was something completely out of your control. I guess that's just the fate some people carry._

'THE POINT!'The blonde ninja was getting impatient.

'_Very well. The point is that I can help you get your revenge. We can make them regret the way they treated you. Together, we could destroy them all!_

'What makes you think I'll agree to such a stupid idea?''

'_Simple. I'll just wait until the seal reaches a certain point at which I can take control of your body. I will manipulate your every action, and together, nothing will stop us from destroying everything in our path!'_He explained his plan slowly and with a lot of emphasis.

'And you're going to help me why?'

'_Quite frankly, I like you, boy. You carry an amazing strength and stamina. I'm __surprised you haven't let yourself go to this power, seeing you can activate it at anytime your life is in danger. Besides, if I completely brake through the seal, you will die.'_

'I thought you said you knew everything about me.' Naruto said as if challenging the demon.

'I don't need revenge and I don't need someone to fight for me. The people of this village are learning to respect me for the great ninja I am. I used to think that revenge was the solution, but I was wrong. Now I have friends. They are the closest I've ever had to a real family. At first they treated me just like you said, but I never gave up. I kept pushing myself so I could really get to them. All those years of loneliness and struggling have been worth it. I wouldn't change them for anything in the world! Just you wait! One day, I'll be the greatest ninja this village has ever known, and I'LL BE LORD HOKAGE! They are all the strength and support I'll ever need!

'_Great Ninja? Friends? Surely you're not talking about Uchiha or that Sakura? They have betrayed you! It's naïve to think that that you can change their minds by merely wishing it so. And by the way, the only reason you're still alive after so many dangerous missions is because of ME! It was MY energy who saved you and your worthless comrades!'_

'That's not true, and don't you dare call them that! You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!' Naruto's hands were pushing down on the bathroom sink.

'_If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be standing here at all!'_

'That's not true!'

'_The only reason the Fourth Hokage would ever think of sealing away a demon of great power on a mere mortal is because that mortal is a puny, worthless, little human scum!'_

'SHUT UP!' He slammed his fist into the mirror. Shards of broken glass were sent flying everywhere. A few pieces cut his face. He was breathing hardly and burning up with anger. There was no way he was going to let him insult him or the village. His fist was bleeding. Blood was dripping into the sink. He pulled it back to take out the bits of glass on his knuckles. The demon was still there, staring at him, through the shattered mirror. Naruto only stared back furiously as he tended to his hand.

The door to his room opened. A nurse had walked in. She gasped in surprised at the scene going on in the bathroom.

'N-Naruto! Are you OK?' asked the nurse in worry.

Naruto looked back at her. He tried to act natural, as if nothing had happened and he was perfectly fine. He looked back at the mirror. The demon was gone. He looked at his hand. The wounds were healing up quickly.

'Everything's fine.'

'Ohh, all right.' said the nurse.

After that, there was a short, awkward, silence. The nurse didn't know what to say and Naruto was waiting for her to say something.

'I…better bring Lady Tsunade,' she finally said.

'No,' Naruto answered aggressively,' just bring a broom and a few bandages. What happened in here stays in here, OK?'

'But, Naruto-'

'Please.' His tone was really severe. The nurse felt a slight chill crawl up her spine as she looked into the ninja's eyes, so feral and cold.

'After we're done cleaning up, tell Grandma Tsunade I woke up, understood?'

The nurse only nodded and walked out quickly. Naruto resumed cleaning his mess. He looked up at the mirror once more. There he was again, the evil monster that resided in him, still staring at him like a wild beat haunting its prey.

'This is not over yet.' He said, menacingly.

Sunlight started shining through the bedroom window.

There you have it! What do you think? If you felt confused, don't worry. The answers to all questions will come later in Ch.3. The name is still pending.

Please comment.

See ya soon!


	3. Chapter 3: A Matter of Life and Death

What's up, everybody? Now, before you start reading CH. 3, I would like to take a moment to talk about something that caught my attention. I was going through my mail and I saw several e-mails talking about how chapter 2 was a big surprise compared to how the story was flowing in Ch. 1. So, I would like to tell you a bit on just where my story is going without spoiling too much. 'The Way of the Ninja' is like my vision on Naruto's biggest change in his life and how everything that will make him complete, plus some unwanted stuff, is coming to him. He will find true love, save the village from total disaster, fight his greatest enemies (and friends), discover the secret about his past (most of you probably already know about it), and ultimately become a legendary ninja…and then some. At its core, this is still a love story, but with a lot of action and\or drama, sort of like your traditional tale of boy meets girl and conflict tries to pull them apart.

Now, my story is going to be pretty long. I don't know how many chapters, but we'll see. I keep getting so many great ideas, I really can't make up my mind on how to structure them properly. Most of these ideas have to do with how will Naruto and Hinata's relationship develop and how will other people react to this. Some are a little bit soap opera-ish, but I'll try to work it out. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll like it. Some chapters in the story will focus primarily on combat or Naruto trying to overcome a problem, while others will focus on Naruto and Hinata's relationship. As the story progresses, these two will start to combine. Without further ado, here's Ch. 3!

**CHAPTER 3: A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH**

She would never forget that day. She had never felt so lonely in her life. She had the chance to stop him, but she was too slow to react. He reached out from behind her and left her unconscious, lying in a cold, steel bench. The love of her life had walked away. She blamed herself for what had happened. She had the chance, but did not use it wisely.

Sakura stood in front of her mirror, gently brushing her hair. The stillness and quiet outside was soon gone as people opened their businesses. She kept staring at her own reflection. It was her own reflection, but somehow, she doubted that was the same girl she used to think she was. She still looked the same as always, but she could tell there was something else. Something not seen by the naked eye. Something she could not describe, but whatever it was, it was no good news. Beside her mirror was one of her old pictures of Team 7. Those were the days they were always together, like a small family. Those were the days Naruto would wear his orange jumpsuit and carry a big, goofy grin. He and Sasuke would fight all the time. Kakashi would always be late for a team meeting. She could not believe she missed those days. She stared longingly at Sasuke.

She felt like it had been yesterday when he left the village, leaving her heartbroken and knocked out in that cold night.

Strangely, her feelings for him hadn't changed a bit, despite his actions. She then turned to Naruto. It had been a long time since she had seen him smile like that. The last time she saw him, he was in a hospital bed…and she couldn't deny it was all her fault.

Sakura didn't sleep that night. She hadn't slept in well in many weeks. Her mind was heavy with a guilty conscience and thoughts about heartbreak, betrayal, and sadness. Even after a full month, she could still feel so much pain. She could not believe what she had done that day. It was something so unlike her. What was she thinking? How could she do such a thing? She didn't know what to do. It was all so confusing. She felt like no matter what was her action, she would be betraying someone one way or another. She would never forget what happened.

She could see herself, running as fast as she could. Sasuke was right within her grasp. There was not a thing in the world that would stop her. Much to her disappointment, Sasuke was long gone by the time she arrived at the small cottage. It was Orochimaru's hideout, where he remained hidden while his wounds from his invasion of the village were mended. Sakura hadn't been more sure of anything ever. She was so sure she would see her beloved again. All those dreams felt like they were now scattered in the wind. And then…came the scream.

It was a loud, piercing scream, as if someone was in terrible torture. The scream soon turned into the roar of a fierce beast, the roar beasts make when they go off to battle.

In the distance, an intense flash of light rose from the treetops far away, lighting up the night sky. It looked like a powerful explosion of red energy. It was burning the forest surrounding it at an alarming rate. Sakura felt strong gusts of hot air blowing at her face. The forest wildlife was rushing its way out. The ground was trembling strongly, like a meteor had impacted the Earth. Sakura went pale with horror. She raced as fast as she could towards the bright light, hoping her fear of what was happening wasn't a reality. As she drew closer, she could hear the sounds of fighting. It sounded like three men were fighting against some sort of monster. When the creature roared, it was usually followed by a scream of pain. Sakura felt the need of moving faster, but she was already moving as fast as her feet would carry her.

After running for what seemed hours, she arrived at the scene. It was the most shocking sight she had ever laid eyes on. There he was, Naruto, standing in the middle of what looked like a huge crater. All wildlife surrounding him had been burned to a crisp.

It wasn't the environment's condition what shocked her the most, but it was Naruto himself. He was barely standing, struggling to breathe, and was covered in blood. He wasn't wearing his jacket. The black shirt he wore underneath it was exposed. The sleeves had been ripped open. Orochimaru was laying face down on the ground with both his arms broken. Kabuto, Orochimaru's assistant, had one of his own poisonous needles through his shoulder blade. He was drinking a dark colored tonic from a small glass bottle. Physically, he wasn't as injured as his master. He was probably put out of commission quickly due to the poison. Most shocking of all, was Itachi Uchiha. His dark coat with red clouds had been singed from many areas. He had been scratched across the face by what looked to be claws. Finally, 9 shinobis were observing the scene as well not far from where Sakura was. They were all very familiar to Naruto and Sakura. They were eight Chunin, Shikamaru, Ino, Kiba, Choji, Shino, Hinata, Lee, and TenTen, and one Jonin, Neji. They all watched in shock at the ninja before them, bleeding from head to toe, who had just defeated three of the most dangerous ninja known to the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Itachi slowly rose back to his feet, only to disappear quickly in a split second. Kabuto soon rose as well and picked up Orochimaru, who was now unconscious. They both vanished quickly as well. Now, Naruto was left standing on his own. It was so quiet, his harsh breathing terrified most of the ninja present. He slowly turned around to face his friends. They were all very uneasy by looking at his present condition. It was his eyes that scared them the most. They were red like blood, and his expression was so intense, the fear could make you go crazy. Nobody knew whether to go to him and give him medical treatment or give him some room. Naruto's eyes studied everyone who was looking at them. They stopped right at where Sakura was standing. She was nervously sweating and her face was white as silk. The hatred shining in his eyes was taking its toll on Sakura. He was growling softly with a certain blood thirst in it. Everyone's attention was now on Sakura. Nobody was the wiser on what had happened between the two of them. Naruto slowly walked towards the kunoichi, which was still too afraid to do anything. His left hand was over his shoulder, which was probably badly hurt.

He was dragging his feet with the little strength left in his body. He was still staring at Sakura like it was about to jump at her and kill her. He was only a few feet away from them when he uttered the words,

'You…YOU TRAITOR!'

Sakura felt like her heart was exploding. With multiple gasps and shocked expressions, everyone else observed the two. Naruto'e eyes were burning with an otherworldly anger. His booming voice echoed as he spoke. His bleeding was intensifying.

'It has ALWAYS been about Sasuke with you! Never about me! How could you care for someone so twisted and selfish!? How could you still care for him after what he did to you!? How could you care about him if he NEVER was there for you when you needed him!? I was the one who always stood up for you, the one who would do anything for you, the one who really was there when you needed somebody, the one who swore that he'll always protect you, BUT YOU JUST DIDN'T CARE! After all I've done to try to make you happy, I still mean nothing to you!!'

Sakura started weeping. Nobody felt brave enough to stop Naruto.

'You…you are nothing but a…a…'

He had officially had it. He had lost too much blood, used up too much chakra in a very short time, and many of his bones were broken. The bearer of the Nine-Tails had pushed his own limits and reaached them all in the same fight. He collapsed to the ground, fainted. With haste, the other ninja rushed in to assist him, all except her. She just stood there as she watched how the others treated Naruto's critical condition. After sealing a few wounds and inspecting his chakra network, the team took him back to a nearby village where additional treatment would be given. It wasn't long until they realized the problem on their hands was too much. They had no choice but to rush him back to the village where Tsunade and Jiraiya could help. When they asked her what happened, she had no choice but to answer. Of course, Tsunade was infuriated by her reckless and thoughtless behavior in the heat of battle. No one had ever seen her temper reach such heights.

A small tear dropped from Sakura's eye. She was afraid of what she had become. She was ashamed to call herself the apprentice of the Fifth Hokage. She was confused and lost. She had realized that now, she was truly alone.

……………………………

Naruto walked down the white halls of the hospital with his sight facing the floor. His hands were stuffed inside his jacket pockets. From time to time, he looked up at the doors he passed by, checking their numbers. He walked slowly, with no motivation.

He felt deeply conflicted as he stared downward. He felt terribly down, which was very unlike him. Deep down, inside himself, he felt completely empty. Any happiness left inside him was little to none. The only thing on his mind was that there was a demon inside of him and it was only a matter of time before he broke free.

312, 313, 314, 315… the room he searched for was still nowhere to be found. As he walked by door 319, he heard the sounds of children crying. The door was open a crack, just enough for him too see what was going on. Inside, a woman lay on the bed with a respirator over her mouth. Her eyes were closed and she didn't move at all. Beside the bed was a small pot with roses on it. A man, who seemed to be in his 30's, and two kids were sitting on a sofa by the bed. The man's arm was around the children, muffling their crying. Naruto could hear them calling out to the woman in bed. They called out to their mother, whose life was hanging by a thin thread. The man tried to console them, making them believe everything would be all right, that mom will be back on her feet very soon, even if he didn't seem certain of it. The children's innocence hid the man's doubt. Naruto got chocked up as he saw such a scene. Feelings of loneliness, pain, and sorrow filled him inside. It reminded him of the time when he truly was alone in the world.

"So that's what a father is like," the young ninja thought.

324, 325, 326, 327. He had reached the room he was looking for. It was at the far end of the hall, against the wall. A nurse stand was to the left of the door. The nurse there was reading a magazine. When she heard Naruto's approaching footsteps, she looked up to face him.

'Lady Tsunade is waiting for you inside,' she said.

'Thanks,' answered the ninja with great deadpan. He slowly approached the door, almost hesitatingly. He wouldn't admit it to himself, but he was actually very nervous about talking about his problem with someone else. After what had happened, he didn't know how he would be treated or how should he treat the others.

"_Go on. What are you waiting for?" _The voice of the Nine Tails echoed inside his head.

'Shut up, demon,' said Naruto softly. The nurse looked up again at him, puzzled. He looked back at her.

'What?'

The nurse gasped softly and quickly returned to her reading.

"_Please, call me Kyuubi," _said the demon almost invitingly.

''Whatever,'' said Naruto inside his head. He figured that was the only way to keep his conversations with the fox private. He raised his fist against the door and slowly banged it three times.

'Come in, Naruto,' Tsunade's voice answered from inside the room.

He reached for the doorknob and pulled the door open. He was welcomed by the staring of five Jonin (Kakashi, Iruka, Asuma, Guy, and Kurenai), Jiraiya, and Tsunade.

He looked around the room, slightly confused. Some of them were holding a different package. They were all sitting in a long table that reached from one end of the room to the other. A single chair was in front of the table. If it wasn't for the table, the room would have been completely empty. It had no windows and the walls were colored in light green. The only light in the room came from a dim ceiling light.

'Naruto, please have a seat,' said Tsunade quite welcomingly. He didn't listen.

'Naruto,' this time, Tsunade had to raise her voice a little. The blue eyed ninja's attention was now centered on her.

'Have a seat.'

He nodded in agreement and closed the door behind him.

"_You know what this is all about, right?" _Once again, Kyubi invaded his thoughts.

"Obviously."

"_Go ahead. Tell them all you want. See if I care. Anything you do will be in vain."_

Naruto reached for the free chair and sat down. The other ninjas started examining the information inside the packages. Some showed the information to one another. No expression or feeling appeared on their faces. He imagined they might have seen this already. Tsunade started writing quickly on a small notebook. Jiraiya just sat there, thinking about something. Naruto's thoughts started drifting away as he stared at the walls.

"Well, they are sure taking their sweet time," he thought. "Why don't they just go out and say it already?"

"_Nervous?"_

"No. "

"_Then why are you so tense?"_

"I'm not tense!"

"_You aren't fooling anybody."_

"You know, I'm really not in the mood to be talking to you! I'll call you when a giant snake tries to eat the village. Now shut up or I'll shut you up!"

"_I'd like to see you try."_

"Why you little-"

'NARUTO!' the young ninja almost jumped out of his seat at the sound of the Fifth Hokage's booming voice. 'Pay attention when I'm talking to you!'

'Yes, grandma,' he said, sighing in frustration. "That's it. I'm only talking to you if we're alone or if someone's going to die, OK?" he said to the demon in his thoughts.

'I've told you many times already. Stop calling me that!' she said annoyed. She never really liked that nickname.

'Anyway, first of all, Naruto, let's go over what we already know.' He shifted in his seat as she spoke.

'About a month ago, after a long discussion with the village sages, we decided to make the biggest team we have ever assembled here in the Hidden Leaf Village. It had to be a team whose members had experience working with one another so that the team's functionality was effective. This team was composed of eleven ninjas. They were all trained by the Jonin that you see here. We called this team the Konoha 11. We would have used more Jonin if so many of them weren't unavailable. Neither I nor Jiraiya could be on this team because we can't leave the village right now. This team was made with the purpose of retrieving Sasuke Uchiha.'

Now, it was Jiraiya who continued talking.

'Our scout troops had reported that there was a small, secluded village along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. This town is hidden among the trees of a vast forest. These conditions make it difficult to accurately pin point the exact location. All its inhabitants are said to live on the treetops. According to the report, somewhere in this area, Orochimaru had established a small hideout. As far as we knew, he, Sasuke, and Kabuto have been in hiding there for the last couple of weeks. '

Naruto grunted in affirmation. He remembered being there, running through an ocean of trees that stretched into the horizon.

'We suspected that the reason why Orochimaru would move here would be part of a new plot he could be developing,' Jiraiya continued, 'It was your team's job to perform a surprise attack before he had the chance of doing any major offense.'

He turned to look at Kakashi. He continued the story.

'We learned that Orochimaru is keeping a strong bind on Sasuke through the curse mark. Apparently, Sasuke feels he's strong enough to go out on his own and kill Itachi. With this bind, Orochimaru is controlling all his actions and making him act to his will, preventing Sasuke from doing as he pleases. As you know, Orochimaru possesses the Immortality Jutsu. This makes his soul immortal, but the body decays quickly. So, every few years he must change into a new body. This is why he wants Sasuke. He is training him so that when the time comes, he can posses the power of a fully developed Sharingan.'

Naruto's fists twitched as he said these words.

'What we didn't expect would be that Orochimaru had set a trap for your squad for when you arrived. He let himself be discovered on purpose by our scouts to lure us there so he could take us out and stop interfering with his plans of developing Sasuke's Sharingan and strengthening his curse mark. Upon your arrival, your squad discovered that he's starting to gather a massive army of rogue ninjas as well. You were ambushed by at least 200 of them. They were threatening to destroy the town hidden in the trees. You had no choice but to stay and fight. But still, you couldn't let Orochimaru get away, so while your squad mates stayed behind to horde off the invaders, you and Sakura went on ahead to fight him and retrieve Sasuke, even if it meant using brute force against a fellow Shinobi.'

'Fellow Shinobi?!' Naruto interrupted. He looked daggers at Kakashi. He jumped off his seat and pointed at him. 'You dare call him our friend after what he's done?! What is wrong with you?! That guy is nothing but a traitor! A selfish, treacherous, son of a…!'

'NARUTO!' Tsunade shouted. 'Sit down, now!' He reluctantly obliged. He mumbled to himself as he sat down.

'You were saying, Kakashi?' Tsunade turned to face him.

'Anyway,' he continued, 'another thing that we didn't expect would be that Itachi Uchiha would take advantage of an opportunity such as this to attack and try to harness the power of the Nine-Tails for himself. We should have known better.' He hanged his head in shame. He gazed down at the table for a long time.

"_What's his problem? We took him out easily."_ The demon remarked.

"Quiet." Naruto thought.

Iruka continued what Kakashi was saying.

'OK Naruto, as Kakashi was saying, Itachi had been waiting for a chance like this to get the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox.'

"_I've had it up to here with everyone calling not calling me by my real name. Why don't you tell them what my name is?"_

"I will, but not now!" Naruto thought angrily.

'…Itachi attacked you and Sakura on your way to find Sasuke. Even if you ran away, there was no way out of fighting him. Naruto, how would you describe your fight with him? Did you feel anything strange?

'Didn't Sakura tell you about it?' the blonde ninja asked.

'We want to hear your version of it now.'

'OK,' he looked up as if trying to remember what happened. He hadn't forgotten, but it was still a little hard to recall everything.

'Itachi is without a doubt one of the most dangerous guys I've ever fought. He kept coming at us with many fast attacks. In the blink of an eye, he would be standing right in front of me, trying to subdue me with the Sharingan. Sakura would try to counter him, but this work only some of the time. We were too slow.'

He paused briefly before continuing.

'I've seen Itachi fight before, like the first time he tried to capture me and Sasuke fought him. I'd say not much has changed in the way he fights, but this time, something seemed different. It was then when he explained that he had turned his back on the Akatsuki and killed them all. Before doing so, he used the Sharingan to copy all their Jutsus.

'Yes, Sakura explained that to us,' Iruka affirmed.

'That is one messed up guy, isn't he?' said Naruto smiling lightly. It didn't last.

'I only started to get the hang of things until I started releasing a portion of Ky-' he hesitated before finishing, '…the Nine Tails' chakra.'

"_Coward!" _said the booming voice inside his mind.

"Not now!" Naruto answered.

He faced the others again. 'With this extra boost, I was able to dodge Itachi's attacks more accurately and counter him, too. I also had to do my best to defend Sakura. This left me open for attack several times, but I was able to get out of the way…at least sometimes. We kept at it for a few minutes until I felt I couldn't keep up with him anymore. I needed more of the demon's chakra. Now, I knew I was able to deliver a full frontal attack with several of my Shadow Clones and bring him down. I was sure I had him this time…until I got intercepted by Kabuto. He and Orochimaru had arrived to stop us as well. Kabuto attacked me with a series of quick jabs and punches. He hit several pressure points and nerves in my body that blocked my access to the Fox's chakra. It hasn't been the first time he's done that.'

He spoke softly and slowly, as if meditating on these past events. He sat silent with his sight drifting to the floor.

'I can still see it all…going so fast through my mind…it's like all of it happened in just a split second. Our enemies overwhelming us…Sakura falling before me…the glow of the Sharingan…Orochimaru's loud, evil cackle…

'But, what happened next?' asked Iruka. Naruto took his time before answering. Once again, he talked slowly and paused.

'They kept knocking me to the ground…Orochimaru and Kabuto would quickly turn their attention to Itachi and block him so he wouldn't have an open opportunity to get me. The roles switched constantly. There was nothing I could do. Without the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox, I was utterly defenseless. Two of them wanted to kill me, the other one wanted to harvest my power for his evil, selfish purposes. Whoever won, I was going to lose. As their attacks kept coming, I struggled to keep on fighting; I started to notice that Sakura was no longer doing anything. I asked myself 'Where is she? What is she doing?' I called out to her, but there was no answer. At first, I thought she had been knocked out…or possibly killed…but…as I raised my head after I had been stricken down…I was facing a path through the trees.'

His voice deepened and grew more solemn as he continued narrating what he saw.

'I saw Sakura…running down the path…as fast as she could. I immediately knew what she was doing. She was going to Orochimaru's hideout…by herself…to find Sasuke. I called out to her as loud as my lungs let me. She turned around to look at me. Anguish and pain were written all over her face…blood was dripping from her forehead…she was about to break into tears. She stared at me for a long time. She kept turning around to face the path leading to Sasuke. She kept hesitating whether to go back to help me…or leave me to die while she finds…her beloved.'

He struggled to finish this sentence. He had already made up his mind about this, but still, he felt like he hurt himself as he said these words.

'Sakura probably had hoped she would be long gone before I noticed. There was no way she wanted to be at that place and at that time. Finally…she looked at me for a long time…she started to cry…said something I could not understand…turned around…and disappeared into the forest.'

He went silent as he finished narrating. Certain unevenness filled him inside. He could tell that everyone in the room was looking right at him, as if waiting for him to continue. Finally, Jiraiya asked, 'And then what?'

Naruto didn't answer right away. The look in his eyes indicated that he was thinking about that day. The images all so clear in his head, the smell of blood, the dirt on his face, the mocking laughter of Orochimaru, the beaming, intense shining of Itachi's eyes…

'He was making fun of me,' he finally continued, 'that Orochimaru. He was saying, 'Too bad your little girlfriend isn't here to save you. Oh wait…she's not your girlfriend. She doesn't even care about your life! All for the sake of her precious Sasuke.' And then he kicked me right in the ribs while I was down. There I was, lying half-dead on the ground. Now, it was just Kabuto and Orochumaru against Itachi. The winner would have me. All I could do was wait for my destiny. If Itachi won, he would have the power sealed within me. If Orochimaru won, I would kill me. As I lay there, my body felt heavy and cold. I felt dizzy and nauseous. Probably because of all the blood I lost. I could not get rid of its taste. All I could think of was Sakura running away from me, sending me to my grave. All my life, I had tried to impress her, win a special place in her heart. I could put up with the fact that she always liked Sasuke better than me, but I was determined to change all that. Even when I made her angry, I would respect that. I liked everything about her. She was beautiful, she was smart, she was talented, and independent. All that was being shattered right before me. I thought I knew Sakura, but this changed everything. The way I had always pictured her had now been thrown out the window. I felt so…angry. It was a rage I had never felt before. It was so…fural. I felt a…lust for blood.'

Everyone shifted in their chairs. Once again, Naruto's voice was slow and deep.

'I didn't know what was happening. I didn't know what I was becoming. But, I knew one thing for sure… I wanted to kill. I felt a strong pressure inside me, like a locked beast pounding against its cage. It became stronger each passing second. I started to fee like...well, it's hard to describe. It was like somehow my soul was being pushed out of my body by something else. There was something controlling me…and I was starting to take its form. My hands and feet had grown large claws. My teeth were sharpening. My arms widened, ripping through my jacket. My eyes started to see hundreds of yards away. I could smell the blood of others. And then, before I knew it…the pressure inside of me was set loose. I shouted as I felt this massive amount of chakra blew out from inside of me. It was such an unbearable pain. Everyone was looking at me, but they had to run away from the wave of chakra. I observed as everything around me was dying. With a mighty leap, I charged towards my escaping enemies. I couldn't believe the speed at which I was going. I found myself moving on all fours, kinda like Kiba does sometimes when he's fighting. I do remember doing something like this sometimes, but this was on a whole different level. It felt like I was a full-blown animal that would stop at nothing to kill. I tracked down all three of my attackers with ease. As I moved on, I noticed that the trees around me burned down. First one to go down was Kabuto. He tried to stab me in the neck with a poison needle before I reached him, but he was too slow for me. I pinned him down and stabbed him with his own needle. It took a quick effect on him. Orochimaru and Itachi hadn't fled too far. I stalked them like…like an animal on the hunt. I'm sorry, I can't describe it any better than that.'

Much to Naruto's surprise, there weren't a lot of shocked looks among the Jonin in the room.

'They didn't stop running. They probably knew it was too dangerous, maybe even suicide to take me on in my present form. Itachi was next to go down. He dodged my first strike, but tried to counter me using the Sharingan from behind. He thought he had me, but I was able to make my move first. It felt very natural, but I could not believe the speed at which I was thinking. My reflexes were sharper than ever. With a right jab, I hit Itachi right in the chest, cutting off his breathing shortly. I rapidly clawed at him until he fell. I could tell he was overwhelmed by how fast I was moving. Finally, it was just me and Orochimaru. I tricked him by using a Shadow Clone to attack him from behind to make him think it was the real me. I figured he wouldn't be worrying if it was really me who was following him. My Clone missed on purpose to give him a good sense of security, but before he could make his move, I came at him from above with a Rasengan made from Kyuubi's chakra.'

'Kyuubi?' asked Tsunade

'That's his name,' he answered.

"_Thank you,"_said Kyuubi, sounding exasperated.

'How'd you know?'

'I could talk with him during this state. He hates it when you don't refer to him like that.'

'OK…please continue,' asked Tsunade confused. She wanted to learn more about Naruto's connection with the demon, but knew she had to let him finish talking.

'Anyway, using the demon Rasengan, I slammed him into the ground, nearly lifeless. That was it. I had won. It all happened so quickly. I watched it all happened, but I couldn't stop myself. Most of what I remember is nothing but huge blurs. I guess that's right about it. The team later arrived to check on what was going on, including Sakura. Everyone was staring at me in total fear. TenTen looked like she was staring at a ghost and Hinata and Ino looked like they were having a heart attack. I must have looked pretty messed up to frighten them like that.'

'Well, according to what your team said, you were literally soaked in blood, you had the eyes of a monster, and your teeth looked like real fangs,' Kakashi interrupted. 'Sorry about that, please go on.'

'The last thing I remember was going up to Sakura and accusing her for abandoning me. After so many years of putting up with her and Sasuke, I finally let her know what I thought. I was just furious at her. I didn't care if I was making her cry. I felt like I was getting some sort of sick satisfaction out of it. And then, I…I just fainted. The next thing I knew was that I was at this hospital in a room that looked like it was turned into some flower shop.'

'Well, you sure know how to draw big attention,' said Jiraiya. His tone of voice was serious.

'Now, Naruto, did you feel something strange when you woke up?'

He waited for a comment from Kyuubi, but there was no answer. He felt like he was toying with him. He had already said that it wouldn't matter what Naruto said.

'Well…' he started, 'I had this dream before I woke up. In this dream, the village had been destroyed. It looked like a scene out of an end-of-the-world kind of movie. Fire was falling down from the sky, burning down what remained of the village. I saw myself in a demon form. The fox had taken over me. He made me slaughter all my comrades. I couldn't look away. I couldn't fight back. His hold on me was too strong.'

'Anything else?' Jiraiya asked.

'When I woke up, I could hear the demon talking inside my head. He said he would use me to destroy the village and help me get my revenge.'

'Revenge?'

'Yeah. He says he felt sorry for the way I was treated all my life and wanted to help me get back at those who treated me like crap.'

"Feel sorry?" Jiraiya thought. "What the hell?"

'And then what?' Tsunade continued.

'I denied his offer, even though he said it was unavoidable. He said he will break through the seal and take over my identity. If this happens, I would cease to exist. I would be the one locked away in a cage instead of Kyuubi.'

Now, everyone was still and exchanging looks of affirmation. Everyone nodded when their eyes met.

"Looks like they will finally tell me why I really am here," Naruto thought.

Tsunade handed Naruto a package she had in front of her. 'We want you to take a look at this,' she said.

Naruto opened the package. It was full of x-ray pictures of his body, showing his skeleton, muscles, nervous system, cardiovascular system, samples of his cellular structure, and even his chakra network. A lot of circles marked certain areas of the images, highlighting different areas that looked strongly damaged.

'What is all this?' he asked.

'These are shots we took of you while you were unconscious. These were from a month ago. If you pay close attention, you'll see that your tissues are recovering due to the power of…Kyuubi.' She hesitated before calling the demon by its name.

'I thought Chakra networks were invisible,' Naruto said

'We have been working with the Hyuga clan with a new technology that can help us study any individual's Chakra network and even take pictures of it. Impressive, don't you think?'

He just stared at the pictures, observing the many channels of chakra flowing inside of him.He noticed several spots were the flow of chakra was more intense than others and other ares where chakra was barely flowing. Jiraiya then handed Naruto a second package with pictures. 'These are from two weeks ago.'

"Two weeks ago?!" Naruto looked flabbergasted at the pictures. They looked almost no different to the previous package.

'You can probably see they look virtually unchanged. This made us very concerned about not only your condition, but that of the Nine-Tails as well. It seems that this fight really put some strain on both of you.'

A third package was handed to him.

'These are from three days ago,' said Jiraiya, 'You can probably tell there has been improvement overall.'

He was right. His bone fractures were healing up nicely and his Chakra had become more stable. His organs looked like they were working properly.

'Well, I guess this explains why I was covered with bandages when I woke up.'

'Correct. Now, I want you to take a good look at your cellular structure shots.'

Naruto obliged but couldn't understand why.

'OK, what seems to be the problem?' he asked.

'Your cellular structure is the one thing that isn't stabilizing much,' Jiraiya answered. 'After thinking it thoroughly, we came to the decision that this effect is due to your body's extreme exposure to the Nine-Tails'-

'Kyuubi,' Naruto interrupted.

'Fine,' answered Jiraiya, reluctantly. 'Sorry, but I still hold a grudge against him…after what he did to the Fourth Hokage.'

Everyone turned around to face Jiraiya when he finished.

'Well, as I was saying, exposure to…Kyuubi's chakra is deteriorating your cellular structure, causing your-'

'Wait,' Naruto interrupted again, 'isn't Kyuubi's chakra supposed to heal my wounds?'

'Yes, but let me finish now.' He sighed deeply before continuing. 'His chakra is too intense to be contained by an ordinary human. When the chakra acts on a human body, it starts to deteriorate your skin, your hair, basically every part of your body. You may not notice this because any damage done is quickly repaired. It's this cycle of destroying and regenerating your tissues that is damaging your cells. Even if you may not age physically, your body becomes frailer, thus shortening your life span…'

Naruto gasped quietly and stared blankly at Jiraiya. His celestial eyes widened. He felt a chill in his spine, crawling all the way up to the back of his neck. The sheer thought of his death made him feel like he would never accomplish his lifelong dream of being Hokage. Everything was looking more distant than ever, almost unreachable.

'…which is why the Fourth Hokage used the strongest Sealing Jutsu known to this village to keep the demonic chakra in check. Unfortunately…' he handed more pictures to Naruto, this ones highlighting the seal on his stomach, the seal that protected the world from the evil inside him. He observed from picture to picture as small sections of the seal were disappearing.

'…lately, we have seen that little by little,' said Tsunade, continuing what Jiraiya was saying, 'the strength of the Fourth Hokage's seal has been depleting. At the rate its going, it should take several years before the demon can have any chance of finding an opportunity. Why he wishes to use a human body that will waste away with him still inside is beyond me. We're lucky that we have been blessed with some time.'

'So, no problem, then?' asked Naruto, almost eagerly. This could be the one thing that could make him feel any better about this whole problem. 'You'll find a cure, right?'

'Not exactly.' Tsunade laid her elbows on the table and crossed her hands in front of her. 'You see, this problem is a lot more complex than we expected. We have tried repairing the seal with techniques we already know, but the results have been sub par. We cannot say how long it will take to come to a solution. Even as we speak, highly specialized Jonin are working on this.'

Her voice changed to a more ominous tone, which caught Naruto's attention, who still seemed to be studying the photos.

'After much talk with the village sages, we came to the decision that we can't afford to take any risks. Until we have a solution for this, you will have to abstain from any violent or extreme labor.'

Naruto, who seemed to be pretty serene, exploded in Tsunade's face as he jumped on the desk.

'WHAT!?'

'Naruto, calm down!' shouted Kakashi.

'You mean you're not sending me on any missions from now on?! What kind of bull is that?!'

'Try to understand it's for your own safety and for the village's safety!' Tsunade said as she grabbed him by the shoulders, only to be quickly pushed away. By now, everyone was standing up.

'You can't do this to me! I'm a ninja! You're taking my life's work away from me! This is how you treat your comrades?!' he said growling.

'This is exactly what we are talking about, Naruto!' shouted Iruka, 'You have to avoid any stress or extreme anger to keep the seal from weakening. Please.'

Naruto's ferocious stare met with Iruka. He slightly stepped back as his penetrating eyes met with his. He wasn't moving. He just stood there with no movement at all. Finally, he stepped down from the desk. 'Fine,' he said.

'We would really recommend you to try meditating more often or take a bath in a hot spring.' Kakashi said, 'They really help you be at ease. Trust me, the least you need in your life now is unnecessary stress.'

There was no answer from Naruto. His eyes were to the wall.

'From now on, just try to continue your life and take it easy with your training.'

'That is all,' said Jiraiya, 'Thank you, Naruto. You may leave now.'

Naruto stood from his chair and, without saying a word, closed the door to the office behind him.

As he walked down the hall, the booming echo of Kyuubi's voice came to his mind once more.

"_Fools. What a waste of our time."_

"I thought you'd be whining a lot more near the end," Naruto responded inside his head.

"_Quite frankly, I was bored."_

"You know, they did mention an important point. Why would you use a human body that will just be destroyed by your chakra instead of just breaking free? If I die, then so will you."

"_Obviously, I'm not planning on staying with you very long. As soon as I kill every last man, woman, and child in this village, I'll be free before you know it."_

"Not if I have something to say about it, you don't."

"_Don't tell me you're actually going to obey them?"_

"It's a small price I'll pay just to make you suffer."

"_You think you're so clever, don't you?__ Hey, are you listening to me?"_

Naruto was looking at a woman at the far end of the corridor. She was truly beautiful. A little girl was complaining about something that had to do with an operation. She said she was afraid that she might not make it and that she didn't want it to happen. The woman, apparently her mother, explained that she was afraid, too, but told her that if she didn't get the operation, she would not ever see her again. Next, she just held her in her arms as her voice started breaking. She told her that she loved her, and that was more than enough for her to make it. Once again, Naruto felt something building up in his throat. The same sad feelings he had experienced earlier were back. Looking at a touching moment between a parent and her child made him feel certain hollowness in him, like he was missing something…or someone. Before him was a feeling that he had wanted to experience all his life, but unfortunately, he never had the chance. It was a feeling that made him feel warm on the inside.

"_What is the matter with you, boy?"_

'Love,' he said out loud.

"_Huh?"_

He turned around and rapidly walked back towards the office.

"_What is it now?" _asked the demon in frustration. No answer came.

The nurse wasn't in her stand anymore. The only thing left was her open magazine. Naruto was about to knock on the door, but the conversation inside was hard to let by.

'Did you see the look on his face?' It was Iruka who was talking. 'He's usually so happy and full of energy, but now, he looked so…empathic.'

'Well you'd be like that too if you woke up to news as bad as that.' It was Kurenai who answered.

Jiraiya sighed exasperatedly. 'This wouldn't be so hard if he was still alive. He'd know what to do.'

"Who's he?" thought Naruto with his ear to the door.

'You know,' Asuma started speaking, 'we're going to have to tell him the truth someday.'

'We don't know how he'll take it,' Kakashi responded. 'Imagine what could happen if we told him right now. Knowing Naruto, I'd say he'd be very angry. The least we want from him right now is for him to act up.'

Naruto tried to get closer to the door at the mention of his name. His eagerness and anxiousness built up inside him. He would not leave until he knew what they were talking about.

'You're probably right,' answered Guy.

'You really got to feel sorry for Naruto,' said Jiraiya. 'If he had grown up with his parents, then maybe life wouldn't have been so hard for him. He could have received a bit more respect and gotten along with other people a whole lot easier. Then again, it was that problem that turned him into the man he is today. It's what makes him so strong. Hell, he could even become stronger than his father.'

Naruto lead out a short gasp.

'Does anybody know what happened to his mother?' asked Kurenai.

'Nobody has seen her since the day the fox invaded the village,' said Guy. 'For all we know, she could be dead.'

Naruto was now leaning against the door. His weight made the door creak loudly. The abrupt silence indicated that his cover had been blown. Naruto softly let out an annoyed grunt. To masquerade what he had been doing, he knocked on the door and waited for an answer. Tsunade came to the door and opened it to find Naruto standing in front of her, without realizing that he was trying to hide just how nervous he was feeling right now.

'Naruto? What is it?' asked Tsunade with a bit of fear. She could not discard the possibility that he was listening to their conversation. Naruto tried to think of a good excuse, but there was only one that could seem convincing enough.

'Yeah, you see Grandma Tsunade,' he started as a stern look appeared on the Hokage's face, 'I forgot to ask you…what day is it today?'

'The 21st. Why?' she responded.

Whatever nervousness there was inside of Naruto was gone. It was now exactly three years ago when one morning, he was awakened by Shikamaru, who brought him terrible news, news that would start one of his most dangerous missions ever.

'It's today, isn't it?' Tsunade asked, realizing what had happened three years ago. The young ninja nodded in affirmation.

'What are you going to do?'

'What choice do I have?' said Naruto.

'Thank you.' And with that, he turned around and once again was on his way out.

'_Don't tell me you actually plan on going?' _asked Kyuubi. _'You are pathetically predictable.'_

Well, it was the longest chapter yet, but it was worth it! I know there have been some mistakes according to the format of the dialogue, both internal and external, but I'll look into it on Ch.4. Well, I guess this is it until after the holidays.

HAVE YOURSELVES A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

And a big happy birthday to Hinata Hyuga! (Dec. 27).

I would have wished a happy birthday to Naruto (Oct. 10) but I hadn't realized the exact date by then.

By the way, I really want to share this story with a whole lot more people. I would appreciate any tips on how can I enter a FanFiction community.

COMING IN 2008: CH.4: "A NIGHT TO REMEMBER"


	4. Chapter 4: A Night to Remember

Hi! How you doing? I hope you all had awesome holidays. I know I did! This time off has let me think of new ideas to add to the story. I've already thought of a beginning, middle, and an end, but there are still a few blank spaces in between. I even thought of a crossover later on in the story. Naruto will be meeting someone who for the moment will remain nameless. But know this, it will be a ninja. He will only be mentioned, though. He's not going to appear for sure. Anyhow, here's a fresh new chapter! Sorry about the delay!

**CH.4: A NIGHT TO REMEMBER**

_Saturday, October 29_

_Dear diary:_

_There's still no word on how Naruto is doing. After almost a full month, he still hasn't awoken from that coma. I've been sending him flowers everyday. I wonder if he'll like them . I sure hope Lady Tsunade is doing her best to help him out. I don't ever want to see Naruto transformed like that again. But, I know Naruto. I know that there's no challenge he won't tackle. I'm certain that he will be strong enough to endure. _

_Anyway, ever since we brought him back to the village, everyone has been acting...well...differently. It's like they now finally understand what poor Naruto has to go through everyday. He walks a thin line between letting his inner demon out and being the guy we all know. We all feel sorry for him. I hope the others don't fear him. He has already gone through so much hardships and sadness in his life.I'm sure that the last thing he would ever want to do would be to relive his painful childhood. _

_How I wish Naruto would walk out of that hospital soon. All I ever do when I'm not out on a mission or training is moping around town with my head down. But not everything is sad. I'm starting to get along much better with more people, more specifically, Ino and TenTen. They have grown real close to me these last few weeks. They try to make me feel better and we hang out very often. Speaking of TenTen, she's now working part-time at Ino's flower shop. Things with Sakura haven't been going to well, though. Every time I walk by her, it's like neither of us knows what to say. She knows I'm hurt for what she did to Naruto and she's trying to make it better, but when she tries to say something, words won't come out. I'm not saying I'm angry at Sakura...well, maybe I am. __To be honest, when I learned that she abandoned him in the middle of a fight against overwhelming odds, I wanted to punch her in the face...or worse. _

_If I had been there, if we had all been there, maybe things wouldn't have turned out so ugly._

_But I never did__ punch her. I guess it's just the way I am. Besides, Sakura was only following her feelings for Sasuke, but still, putting her feelings before Naruto's life was just horrible. Lady Tsunade was furious. She had no choice but to suspend Sakura until further notice, probably until Naruto recovers. _

_I've been praying everyday for him. I pray for his strength to return, so he gets back on his feet, __to see him alive and well soon. I feel more determined than ever to finally get closer to him. I've got the potential. All I need know is a better attitude. I need to get out of my shell and open up more to him. He really needs someone to support him and be by his side after all he's been through. He has already had fights with his two closest friends. I can really make a difference here. I will be there for him. I promise this to myself._

………………………………………………………………………

The sky was painted a mixture of red, yellow, and orange as dusk settled in the village.

TenTen was outside of Ino's flower shop, dusting off the front steps with a broom. She wore her everyday wear with a yellow apron on top. She looked down and quietly hummed a tune in rhythm of her broom strokes. As she did, the store's front door opened and out popped Ino's head.

"We're closing in fifteen minutes," she said. "Finish up quick, alright?"

"OK," she said with a quick look at her. She then continued and dropped her sight to the ground again. The light on the floor was darkened by a shadow. It was the shadow of a tall, young man. She heard Ino gasp, who was still at the door.

"What is it?" TenTen asked as she faced her. Her mouth was slightly hanging open. She then turned to the direction she was staring at. Her jaw dropped as well.

They recognized the ninja who stood in front of the doorway. He was indeed very tall. He wore a dark brown and orange jumpsuit. His eyes were broad and wider than regular eyes. They were as blue as a cloudless sky. The headband on his forehead was partlr covered by long, blonde hair that ended in spikes. Birthmarks resembling whiskers covered his cheeks. The one thing the girls didn't recognize was his stare. It was more serene, calmer than usual. But still, they showed no trace of wildness or rage. It was downright neutral.

"Is the store still open?" Naruto asked. The two girls slowly turned to look at each other, confused.

"Uhhh…sure. Come on in." Ino nervously answered. Without saying a word, Naruto slowly walked towards the door. Ino and TenTen backed up and moved to the side to let him in. As he walked passed them, they noticed certain stillness, something they never felt from him before. As he reached for the door, he stopped and turned his head just a little. Both girls gasped again.

"Don't worry." He said, smiling friendlily. "Everything gonna be OK. Tsunade and Jiraiya are taking care of everything." After this, he gently pushed the door opened and walked right on in. Once again, the girls turned to each other awkwardly. They were both utterly surprised by his behavior. They soon quickly walked back into the store behind him. He was smelling the flowerpots by the counter.

'Hmm…smells good.' Naruto thought. 'Wait a minute…' he continued sniffing the flowers. For a brief second, he swore that he could make out the different smells and identify the flower by it.

'This is weird.'

"So, ummm…," TenTen started, "can we help you?"

"You got anything for Sasuke?" he asked while browsing the flowers. When he didn't get an answer, he looked at the girls, who were just standing there, still a bit shocked.

"You do know what today is, isn't it?"

"O- Oh, right." said Ino. "C-Could you excuse me for a minute?" She then quickly ran behind the counter and opened a door behind it. Naruto noticed there were many flowers in there. They all smelled pleasantly. Now, it was only him and TenTen in the room. She still had her sight fixed on him. When he looked back at her, she quickly looked away when their eyes met.

"I don't remember seeing you work around here." Naruto said to her. She once again turned her attention to him.

"Oh, yeah…you see…I just started." She said, doing her best not to stutter. "Ino said she needed some extra help around here so…I volunteered. I mean…I could use some extra money."

"What for?" Naruto asked. "You're not receiving enough mission assignments?"

" What? Oh, no. It's not that. You see…I want to buy a present for…someone."

"For who?"

The expression on TenTen's face turned nervous with a little bit of surprise.

"Come on, you can trust me." He said.

"Promise?" She asked.

"Promise." He smiled lightly.

"Well, alright…" she sighed sharply before continuing, "…it's for Neji."

"Neji?"

She nodded.

"Why? Are you two…um-" He started the question while making gestures in the air, slightly smiling.

"Oh, no. No. I just…well…I want to…It's just-" Her cheeks turned light pink.

"That's OK. I understand."

She stared questionably towards Naruto.

"Have you told anyone yet?"

TenTen changed her expression back to normal.

"Just Ino."

"What do you plan on getting him?"

"Um…I don't know yet."

"I'm sure that whatever you give him, it'll be fine." He said smiling charmingly. She couldn't help but to gently smile back.

Soon, Ino returned from behind the counter with three bouquets of white roses. She handed one of them to Naruto and placed the other two behind the counter.

"Here you go." she said. "I just picked them out yesterday. I was saving them for an occasion like this."

"Thanks." said Naruto, smiling once again. He reached for his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "How much?"

"Oh, they're on the house. You don't have to pay for them."

"Why? 'Cause there for Sasuke?" His voice turned deep.

"What? Oh, no…I mean, it's just that... I figured that I shouldn't charge you because…well, you've kinda been having a hard time lately, so-" Ino nervously tried to explain herself, but TenTen was making her signs to cut it out from behind Naruto's back. She had no choice but to end without explanation. By the time she did, Naruto had placed some bills on top of the counter.

"I already told you," he said with his deep tone, "there's nothing for you to be afraid of, OK?" He then turned around with the bouquet and headed for the door.

"Wait, hang on!" shouted Ino. "Your change!"

With his hand reaching for the doorknob, the ninja turned around and spoke with a more friendly tone.

"You can keep it." he said. "Besides, I'm sure that extra money can be put to a good use." He then turned towards TenTen. She smiled lightly as she looked away. Her cheeks started glowing again. Ino realized what was going on.

"Thanks for the flowers," said Naruto, "I mean, not just these flowers, but the ones you left in my hospital room. Nice to see you all still care:"

"What were we supposed to do?" said TenTen, "I mean, you are our squad mate. You had us all pretty worried."

"You can say that again." Ino followed. As she finished, she saw someone outside who was on her way in, but quickly hesitated. She then backed off from the door and disappeared from sight. Ino couldn't completely recognize her because Naruto had been blocking her view of the door. All she knew was that it was a girl.

"Yeah, you're right," he continued, "You all must have been very worried…especially Hinata. I must have really gotten to her. I can still remember her face when she saw me transformed. She was scared to death.I guess she really thinks I'm a great ninja and it shocked her to see me like that. That's probably why there was this huge vase full with flowers to the brim with the name "Hinata" on it in my room."

"Got that right." TenTen murmured on Ino's ear.

"By the way, have you guys seen Sakura?" Both girls froze at the sound of her name coming out of his mouth. They quickly glanced at each other before answering.

"No, sorry." Said TenTen.

"Why?" asked Ino. TenTen jammed her elbow against her ribs. She took a quick mean look at her as if saying "What?!"

"I just…" started the blonde ninja, "It's nothing, really. I just wanted to ask her…"

The girls leaned forward eagerly.

"Hey, maybe you can explain me. Has Sakura been here recently? Has she bought any flowers?"

"Well ,yeah. She comes around here every other day." Ino remarked.

"Well, why is it that this morning there was only just a small vase with a single flower from her in my room?"

"Maybe all the other ones were dying." TenTen thought. "A nurse must have taken them away."

"I guess you're right. By the way, how have you been treating her?" Naruto's tone had changed again.

"What do you mean?"

"Have you been nice to her? Mean?"

"Oh well, you know…same old, same old." Ino said. He didn't say anything after this. He just stood there staring at them. He looked at Ino with a serious, questionable look, as if studying her, looking for any signs of insecurity or uncertainness. He doubted she was telling the truth. Ino felt startled as she felt his eyes examining her. TenTen tried to say something, but a chill crawling up her neck held her back. Finally, Naruto turned around and headed for the door. As he opened it, he turned his head to them.

"You keep being nice to Sakura, OK?" And without saying another word, he was gone. All of a sudden, everything seemed to be standing still. Nothing was moving outside, the wind wasn't blowing, the dim sunlight started vanishing, and the streetlights outside were beginning to lit.

"Wow, that was…unexpected." TenTen said.

"More like weird." Said Ino, shivering.

"Did you see him? It was as if he was not himself at all. I mean, the conversation, the cash, the way he talked… In a weird way, it felt like he was doing it so natural."

"Are you kidding me? Don't tell me you're falling for his game. You know he's trying to make it look like everything's alright when it's clearly not. If everything had been OK, he would have come here in his usual self and not acting so proper."

"Well, at least try to be supportive on what he's doing. Why did you ask him about why he wanted to know about Sakura?"

"Hey, I was curious. I mean, for all we know he could go after her right and… well you know…deal with unfinished business, at least that's what I thought until he said "You keep being nice to Sakura, OK?" What could he mean by that?"

"I don't know, but still…"

"Seriously, if you ask me, the Naruto we used to know is d-"

Sakura walked right in while Ino talked. Both she and TenTen sweat-dropped as they stiffly turned to look at her, but there was no way that couldn't feel uncomfortable.

"Were you listening to that?" Ino shrieked. There was no immediate answer from Sakura. She was looking depressed.

"Was that Naruto that just walked out?"

"Uhhh…uh-huh" she answered nodding. She felt like she could not speak properly all of a sudden.

"Did he…did he say anything about me?"

The girls at the counter stared at each other. They both knew what was best to say.

"Not exactly." They answered in unison.

"Ok, but…how did he seem? Was he alright?" Her voice was low and paused. Ino and TenTen could barely understand what she was saying.

"He seemed…" TenTen tried to look for the best word to describe him. "…relaxed."

"Relaxed?"

"Yeah, you know like…unworried, easygoing…like everything is OK."

She thought that would make Sakura a bit more cheerful, but she was wrong. She loked like she still feared what he thought about her.

"Don't worry." Ino said approaching her, putting her hands on her shoulders. "I'm sure things between the both of you will soon be fixed. Trust me."

The pink-haired Kunoichi raised her head to look into her friend's eyes. She was really trying to get to her. She smiled weakly at first, but started to turn more cheerful.

"I don't want to be rushing things up here, but what can we get for you?"

"I was looking for-"

"Something for Sasuke?" Ino interrupted. "Wait here." She ran behind the counter and picked both bouquets she had left there earlier and quickly ran back to Sakura with them.

"I was expecting you." She said handing the flowers to her.

"Wow, they're beautiful." Sakura gasped.

"They're the best we have this week. I thought you'd like them."

"Thank you." She said as she handed her the money.

"Don't worry. You don't have to pay for those. They are for Sasuke after all." Sakura smiled lightly at Ino.

"By the way, can I ask you a favor?" She handed the second bouquet to her. "Con you take these with you? Those are from me."

"Oh, sure." She took the flowers with her free hand. "Well, I better get going before it gets too late. Thanks again." She turned around and went for the door.

As she pulled the door open, she stopped suddenly right in front of Hinata, who was standing in the doorway on her way in. They both gasped as they made eye contact. Ino and TenTen were both in the back thinking 'Oh, man.' Sakura tried to say something, but her mind was blank. Hinata just stood there waiting for something to happen. Finally, the tension was too much for Sakura to bear and she just walked off passing by her fellow Kunoichi. She turned to see her walk away.

"If you won't tell her anything, no one will." Said Ino's voice behind her. "If you want to stop this fight between the two of you, you have to talk it over and set things right."

"I know, but the thing is..." Hinata started, "...when I see her I don't know what to say."

"Don't worry. I'm sure that if you think this through, things will go just fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Guarantee it."

Hinata grew more content.

"So what's up?" asked TenTen "Are you hear for your usual for Naruto?" Hinata slightly blushed. She still got nervous when someone mentioned that she did something for him. She started playing with her index fingers in a familiar fashion.

"Oh, no. Not this time. Do you have anything I could get for…my mother?"

"Your mother, huh? Sure." said Ino. "How about these?" She showed her a pot full of yellow tulips. Hinata took a sniff.

"Hmm…these are nice. I'll take a dozen."

"Coming right up." Ino put on a pair of gloves from one of the pockets from her apron. She picked twelve flowers and passed them on to TenTen, who wrapped them in plastic with a red bow.

"Here you go." She handed the flowers to her. Hinata paid for them, said thank you, and was on her way.

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Ino. Hinata turned around.

"What is it?'" She asked gently.

"It's better if you hear it from us than if you figure it out by accident. Naruto's back."

Hinata's jaw slowly dropped with a gasp. Her face turned brighter.

"Really?" she asked surprised.

"Yeah. He was here at the store just a few minutes ago."

'Oh.' Hinata suddenly felt disappointed. If she had arrived just a few minutes earlier, she would have seen him.

"So…how was he?"

"He was…alright. A little down but alright."

"Down?"

"Yeah," TenTen continued, "but I wouldn't worry about that. Probably Tsunade had to talk with him about his little problem, and knowing them, they probably had a long discussion."

"I see. But, did he…" Hinata's cheeks turned red. "…did he say anything about me?"

"Well, he liked your flowers."

Hinata felt her face was turning bright scarlet. She covered it with the bouquet so they wouldn't see her blazing. Ino and TenTen grinned and quickly glanced at one another.

"Well, thank you very much." She opened the door and started walking out with the flowers still in her face.

"If we see Naruto again, we'll tell him you said 'Hi'." Ino shouted.

"OK, thanks again." She started running and turned at the corner. Now, the only ones in the store were Ino and TenTen.

"Do you think we should tell her?" TenTen asked.

"I don't know." Ino answered. "She'll probably get so embarrassed if we just came out and say it."

"I know what you mean, but don't you think she has waited long enough? She's been crushing on him since they were at the Academy. If you ask me, right now her crush on him is deeper than ever. She used to have trouble talking to him before, but now she's lucky if she maintains consciousness when he's around."

"What's really surprising is that Hinata hasn't figured out yet that just about everyone who has met her knows how she feels for Naruto. Seriously, that girl is just as clueless as he is."

"Hmm, they are not so different after all."

They both laughed.

"You know what? I think we'll just wait and see what happens." Ino concluded. "Who knows? Maybe with this whole demon outbreak thing she'll pull herself together for him."

"Somehow, I don't think that will happen."

"Well, do you have a better plan?"

"Yeah. If what you say doesn't happen, we should help her hook up with him."

"Sorry, but I don't think THAT's gonna happen."

"Come on. We're her friends. We should do something about it, don't you think?"

"OK,OK. Look, nothing has happened yet. It's best if we just wait and see. Now, let's finish up here. We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago."

They both agreed on their discussion and took off their aprons. TenTen locked the front door while Ino hung both aprons on a hook behind the desk. They both soon left the store and entered the back room.

…………………………………………………………………

A crack of sunlight shined on Naruto's hair as he walked past the Academy building. It had been a long time since he had visited this place. The tall tree by the entrance didn't have the swing anymore. He remembered how he would often go there, feeling lonely, like the time he flunked the admission exam the second time. Those were the days he was a nobody. Somehow, that day, he felt the same way he did all those years ago. When he walked down the street, people would stare at him, curse him.

They rejected him as if he was the living monster inside of him. The only difference this time was that now, he was a ninja. It was Iruka, a silver lining in Naruto's clouded life, that kick started his life into becoming what he was today.

With a dozen white roses in hand, he was on his way to the road that led outside the village. It was there were Sasuke had last laid a foot on the village. Since then, he has never returned. Along the way, in the middle of the ominous silence, Naruto heard a soft melody, which was distant, but still easy to make out. It was the gentle strumming of guitar strings.

'That must be about 30 blocks from here' Naruto thought. 'What the hell?' He followed the direction of the sound. With haste, he started running. He leaped from rooftop to rooftop on all fours to increase his momentum.

'What am I doing?' he thought to himself. There was no time to continue thinking. He was starting to see the place the sound was coming from. Sitting on a street corner, a young vagabond was playing a beat-up six string that still played a fine tune. He was still about 23 blocks away from him, but he could still see him like he was standing right in front of him. He could tell the color of his eyes, his raggedy clothes, his bushy, brown hair, and his face, all in great detail.

'OK, this is just starting to get weird. Do YOU have anything to do with it?' He tried to ask Kyuubi but there was no answer.

'Hey! I know you're in there!' Still no response. Naruto growled ferociously in frustration. He let out a sudden gasp as he covered his mouth with his free hand.

'Whoa, was that me?' he thought.

By the time he finished questioning himself, he was back on solid ground standing on his feet.

The vagabond was just as Naruto had seen him from far away. The song he played was gentle and relaxed, like a ballad. He smiled as he played. Soon, the pace of the melody started to increase. Naruto observed as his hands quickly went up and down the guitar's neck and how he rapidly strummed the strings with a white, plastic pick. Naruto closed his eyes. The music made him imagine himself, running through green fields, jumping up mountains, and flying freely, feeling the wind in his face. His vision was soon gone as the man had stopped playing. He got up and hung the pick around his neck with a string. As he reached for his guitar case, some coins were thrown in it. They produced a faint jungle as they bumped against other coins. He looked up to see the young blone man, who was putting his wallet back in his pocket.

"That was nice." He said with a grin.

The man just smiled and closed his case. With his guitar strapped to his back, he was off to play somewhere else. Naruto turned around and was on his way as well. This time, he walked.

Darkness soon fell over the town of Konoha. The ominous silence brought bad memories to Naruto as he stood in the middle of the trail leading outside the village. Memories of his best friend, who was now a rogue ninja, for leaving town without authorization was illegal and marked you as a traitor. He remembered their fight at the Final Valley. It was a fight were they both had fought at their fullest potential, but he was overpowered by the power of the curse mark, even if his last Rasengan was more powerful than ever with Kyuubi's chakra. It was the first time he felt he had truly failed. He also remembered the last time he saw him. His power was unbelievable. With the Sharingan, he could enter his mind and subdue him and Kyuubi from the inside. If he was overwhelming when before, that time he was unparalleled.

He slowly laid down the bouquet by the street corner. There was so much silence, the low rustling of the flowers echoed in the street. For the next few minutes, he lowly stared down the path, thinking of the past. The days when Sasuke meant something. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from behind him. Naruto felt a familiar presence. He somehow knew who these people were. With every breath he took, the more he realized who they were. It felt strange and disturbing, but just like what happened before, it felt natural.

'OK…this is just creepy.' He thought.

"I didn't expect to find you here." Naruto identified Kakashi's familiar tone. He realized the other man was Iruka. He was carrying some flowers.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked dryly.

"Same reason as you." Iruka said. "Sasuke was our student, you know."

"Frankly, after your little fight with Lady Tsunade earlier, I'm surprised to see you here."

"My motives are none of your business." Naruto answered dryly.

"You miss him, don't you?" Iruka asked. Almost instantly, Naruto turned around and glared at his old teacher, as if to tell him he was lying. It was the only thing that occurred to him. His mind was blank. He slowly turned around, completely mute. He sharply inhaled through his nose and exhaled loudly.

"It's OK to feel this way, Naruto." Said Iruka as he approached him and put his hand on his shoulder. "He was a very important part of your life and now he's gone." He paused, expecting Naruto to answer. Understanding his former Sensei's point, he felt it was fine to talk about his feelings.

"He was more than just a friend to me. More than just a rival, too. He was like…like a brother. A brother I never had." He closed his eyes and knelt down his head, again remembering Sasuke. "Every time we were on a mission, we would do everything together. Looking back on it now, all those stupid fights and discussions weren't that bad. Whether we tried to overpower one another or if we just teamed up to take down some jerkoff…I kinda miss those days. He was like family to me."

"Well, you two are a lot the same." Kakashi said adding to the conversation. "You both challenge yourself constantly, you're always eager to fight someone powerful, even your historical background is similar. You both have struggled through a tough childhood."

"You left out the part where we both transform into total freaks." He responded in the same cold tone. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Look, Naruto," Iruka started. "The outbreak of the demon is not y-"

"That's not the point." He abruptly interrupted. "Even if we are that similar, we're still totally different. I've been loyal to the village all my life and he betrayed us all for personal power. But still, I find myself wishing for him to return."

He went quiet after that. Iruka placed his flowers next to Naruto's. He felt it was best to not say anything else. Minutes passed and the three of them were still quiet. They were standing side by side with their eyes to the road, the gate out of town only several steps away

"Hey, you guys?" Naruto finally broke the silence.

"What is it?" asked Kakashi. Both he and Iruka turned to face the Genin. He didn't turn to face them.

"Have you guys ever heard about…my family?" He asked with his eyes still fixed on the gate ahead.

"Your family?" asked Kakashi with an incredulous tone.

"Have you ever heard of anyone else named Uzumaki in this village?"

They didn't answer right away. This made Naruto grow with anticipation and suspicion.

"Sorry." said Kakashi.

"Yeah, me too." followed Iruka. "Why?" He asked with concern.

"Just asking. It's just that I've never heard from them, you know."

'How could they not know?' he thought. 'Are they telling me there's never been an Uzumaki family in Konoha? I mean, it's not like I expected my family to be a huge, powerful, well-known clan, but still, they must have at least heard rumors about it. Wait a minute, why hasn't anybody ever bothered to explain my family's past to me? Should I ask them? No, wait. They'll probably think I'm taking them for liars and I'm acting all paranoid. Maybe some other time.'

"Well, if you excuse us, with have other matters to attend to." said Kakashi as he turned around.

"Good night, Naruto." said Iruka.

"Same to you guys." answered Naruto.

"Oh, by the way, Naruto," Kakashi turned his head to the right to see him with his free eye, "Lady Tsunade recommends you to take up meditation."

"Meditation?"

"Yes. Try to find some time during the day to put your mind at ease and relax. It should help slow down the depleting of the seal's power until we find an effective remedy."

"Are you sure she's not just being pissy because of our fight?" He asked without trying to make it sound funny.

"I'm positive. Well, good night." He turned around and waved his hand as he walked. The sound of his footsteps soon faded into the night. Even while they were far away, he could still hear the low pounding of his feet on the ground, just like he did before. It took a while before he could hear them no more. Instead, he heard a low rustling in some bushes nearby, as if someone had slipped and quickly recovered. He could hear someone breathing hard. It was a girl. She was nervously trembling with the fear that her cover might have been blown. She was holding a bouquet that smelled very similar to the one he had brought. She smelled like cherry blossoms.

'Smooth move, Kakashi.' He thought sarcastically.

"I know you're in there." He said out loud. For a moment, nothing happened. Soon, Sakura slowly stepped from behind her hiding place. She looked around trying to think of something to say or what to do. She clenched her flowers with strength, trying to loosen up her nervousness. She timidly and slowly approached his friend, looking out if he turned to see her, but he didn't. Before she knew it, she was standing right next to him without a clue on what to do. She closed her eyes, gather all of her bravery, and spoke,

"Do you mind if I stand here?"

No answer. His eyes were still fixed on what was up ahead. Once again, she feared he might say something, but it was still as if he hadn't noticed her at all. Feeling rejected, she descended and placed her flowers by her feet while keeping an eye on him. She noticed he wasn't blinking much. She felt as is his silence was more than enough to be said. She could feel it speaking to her, telling her to get lost and never talk to him again. The air between the two could be cut with a knife. Every passing second, Sakura felt a small droplet of sweat rolling down her face. She covered it with her hands, feeling frustrated for her lack of thought on what to do. She could only think of doing what she thought was right, but was afraid of whhow would he react. Once again, she took a deep breath and started,

"Naruto, I-"

"OK, I'm sorry." He interrupted. Sakura's jaw slowly dropped, letting out a gasp as her eyes widened. In an instant, she had become speechless.

"W-What are you talking about?" she stuttered. "I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"No, Sakura," Naruto spoke, "I'm the only one who's to blame for everything that has happened."

"What do you mean?" Sakura put her hands to her chest, her heart thumping hard.

"You were only following your heart. It was telling you to do what you thought was right. Bringing back Sasuke was our main priority. You didn't need to feel bad for me no matter what happened to me. The life of a ninja is full of sacrifice after all."

Sakura was completely stunned by his words.

'How can Naruto be saying this?!' She thought.

"You don't have to worry about my feelings either." He continued. "I already convinced myself that you love Sasuke, not me. You always have. He'll always come first in your mind before me. He has a place in your heart I will never have. Frankly, I was not surprised you left me there to fight on my own. But, I guess that when I saw you turning your back on me, some old scars opened again. I let my jealous feelings of you and him take over me. I have to admit to myself I was totally devastated. The only thought going through my mind was to kill Sasuke so you wouldn't ever see him again. I can't remember ever feeling as angry as I did then."

He chuckled lightly. Sakura almost tripped as she stepped back. She was afraid and uneasy to see Naruto talking like that.

"Isn't it ironic that my jealousy saved my life? If you hadn't left me for dead, I wouldn't have unleashed Kyuubi's power."

'Kyuubi?' Sakura thought. 'Is that the demon's name?'

"When I look at it that way, I guess I should thank you. You saved my life."

"What?!" Sakura exclaimed with worry. Her voice started to break. "How can you say something so awful?! You could have died!" Almost immediately, she forgot about her terrors and threw her arms around Naruto.

"I would have never forgiven myself if you had died because of me!" She wept. "I can only imagine what is happening to you right now!" Naruto's expression hadn't changed a bit. As her tears fell on his shoulder, he was convinced that her friend did respect her. It wasn't just a simple apology. She was putting a lot of feeling into that hug. He felt her intense sadness in the sound of her crying. He slowly put her arms around her pink haired friend.

"It's OK, Sakura." He whispered in her ear. "Everything's gonna be fine. Don't you worry." He kept holding her until she let go. She wiped her teary eyes with her hand.

"Sorry about that." She said with her voice still cracking. "It's just that…I…I miss him very much. I didn't want to lose you too."

"I miss him, too."

"Do you remember when we would always wait for Kakashi Sensei to come for a mission?" Her voice sounded more normal now.

"Yeah, those were the days."

"He would always show up so late." She said with a small smile.

"That was so boring." Sakura broke into laughter. She stopped sharply when she realized Naruto wasn't. The look on his face hadn't changed much during her time with him. It was still fixed on the gate. A very serious look, very uncommon for him.

"You know what I have realized?" Naruto asked. "You and Sasuke are very similar."

Sakura stared at him. "How?"

"Well, you're both very determined, your emotions constantly control your decisions, you both pack an awesome right hook…"

"What?" She asked, trying not to giggle.

"Trust me. I know that by experience." With all her strength, Sakura restrained herself. Given by his tone, she realized he wasn't trying to be funny. It was as if he wanted to take out his frustration about what had happened on her while trying to convince her that he didn't care about what she thought about Sasuke, that there was nothing wrong with what had happenedd. She realized he was still annoyed. What followed was the same awkward feeling of tension and nervousness she felt when she arrived. She hung her head.

"How long had you been standing there? Behind the bushes?" His voice was totally monotonous.

"Well, I arrived when Kakashi was telling you something about meditation."

"Honest?" He asked with an aggressive sense of doubt. It wouldn't be the first time Sakura had lied to him. She was startled briefly by his sudden attack, but quickly answered,

"Honest."

When she finished, he immediately shifted his eyes to the position they were in previously. He noticed she was still staring at him. She felt she had to do something else, something to relax him, make him feel better. She slowly lifted her hand to his shoulder, but before she could even touch him, he turned around and started walking, without a word. Sakura tried to talk, but her words got stuck halfway through her mouth. Her hand was still hanging in the air. She wanted to follow him, but figured that would only irritate him more. Much to her surprise, he asked,

"Are you gonna let me walk you home this time?"

Again, Naruto had left her completely breathless. She had become completely paralyzed. Her mouth was hanging open again.

"Well?" he continued walking.

"Oh, sure." She quickly answered and trotted until they were both walking side by side. Sakura couldn't help but to keep looking at him. His eyes seemed to be trying to examine everything around him except her. Certain coldness was shown in them. A small chill crawled up her spine. She quietly gulped and slowly faced the ground. Wordless, she just slowly walked by his side. She noticed how the pale moonlight shined on them. His shadow completely overwhelmed hers.

……………………………………………………………

Sorry it took so long. Book reports suck.


	5. Chapter 5: Cult of Personality

Here's one for ya. What happens when you take a blonde, hyperactive ninja and a kindhearted, introverted Kunoichi who has a deep crush on said ninja but he's totally clueless about it? Give up? The answer…comedic genius! When these two are put together, the reactions are just priceless, which is part of why I love these guys. It's the kind of stuff that just screams sitcom. If you thought the last chapter didn't focus enough on Hinata, trust me, you'll like this one better.

**CH. 5: CULT OF PERSONALITY**

Naruto and Sakura had been walking without saying a word to each other. The wind was blowing softly. She was constantly checking if Naruto was turning to see her, but his expressionless eyes were to the ground. By the time they were at the corner of Ino's flower shop, she started walking a little faster than he was until she was standing right in front of him. He stopped and looked right at her, his eyes meeting hers. She felt startled. 

"Naruto, we need to talk." she said in her least nagging tone. He didn't react. "Do you remember when you made me that promise three years ago? When you promised me you would bring Sasuke back no matter what?"

He nodded.

"Why did you say that? Didn't you hurt yourself when you did?"

"No. Why?" 

"What do you mean "why"? You always had feelings for me and then when I come begging to you to bring him back, crying, you smile, give me a thumbs up and promise me you will do it. I mean, what happened there?" 

She nervously waited for his answer.

"I guess it was because I wanted to see you happy." He was talking the same way he was before. "I guess I just liked you so much I would do anything just to see you happy, even if it meant giving up on you."

Sakura gasped. 'Naruto…'

"That day, I realized that Sasuke will always have a place in your heart I have always dreamt of having but I never really would, so I figured the least I could do was bring him back for you so you could think of me at least as a good friend. Don't worry. I'm still planning on keeping that promise."

"But that's the problem. I don't want you to do it if you'll only be hurting yourself. I don't deserve it."

"I told you I'm over it! Stop worrying about me!" He raised his voice a bit.

"That's what you were telling yourself before and now look at what is happening to you! Please! You're already in enough pain! I don't want to see you hurt."

"What happens to me is none of your business!" he now shouted. Sakura backed away from him as his eyes turned fierce. He quickly walked off on his own. It wasn't long until she caught up and stood in front of him again. 

"Naruto, please listen to me." She said with all her courage. She was still shaking from the scare. "I know I can only say I'm sorry a million times and you may still hate me, but please hear me out. I'm not just sorry for what I did that day, but I'm sorry for everything. All those times I've turned my back on you. All those times I saw you as an annoying brat and beat you up for no good reason when all you were doing was being yourself and trying to encourage others. All those times I've put you after Sasuke and only came to you when it was for something for my own benefit. You are my friend, too. A great friend."

"You're just saying that." He said. "You're only respecting me because you're afraid of me. If you weren't, you would have punched me in the face for letting Orochimaru and Itachi go."

"N-No, I'm serious. I'm not just talking about your fighting skills and your strength, but you're also brave, trustworthy, and… and you always know how to help someone."

"Prove it." He said defiantly.

"Well, there's…um-" She looked puzzled while she searched her mind for a good example.

"Oh, do you remember Idate? It was your advice that helped him finish that race."

"He wouldn't have made it if I hadn't carried him halfway there." Sakura felt shot down by his comeback.

"How about that time when you…when you…" She was thinking again. 

"…when you motivated Hinata during the preliminaries of the Chuunin exams? It was thanks to you that she was able to fight."

"If the fight hadn't been stopped, Neji would have killed her. She would have died because of me." 

Sakura felt weak all of a sudden.

"You don't have to prove me anything, Sakura. I know who I am, and I need to change. No more will you see the goofy, innocent, naïve, and clumsy Naruto you know. If I am to stop Orochimaru and bring back Sasuke, if I want to defeat the Akatsuki, and if I want to become Hokage someday, I must take myself more responsibly. No longer am I going to rely on others to find my own strength."

It was hard for her to process those words in her mind.

"What do you mean?"

"Every Jutsu I've ever learned I have learned it from someone else. Jiraiya taught me the Rasengan, I learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu from a scroll, and it was the Fourth Hokage who gave me the Nine-Tails. There's also all those things Iruka-Sensei taught us at the Academy. I need to learn how to stand on my own two feet, like a true ninja I must create my own Jutsus and find my own strength."

"Naruto, you don't have to change anything about yourself. You're fine just the way you are. I guess I envy you for who you are. You had to find strength and confidence to fight by yourself. I couldn't do that until Lady Tsunade made me her apprentice. But look, I know I have been rough with you and never acknowledged or respected how you felt about me, and I'm aware this hasn't been the first time where I have been responsible for you feeling so stressed it has led you to use the demon's chakra, but I h-"

"Sakura." He stopped her. She took a long look with eyes wide open before he continued.

"Apology accepted." He said monotonously and without any expression whatsoever. Sakura was once again mesmerized by what he said and how he said it. 

"Come on, it's very late already. Your parents must be worried."

"Wait. I want to give you something." She pulled a small piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Naruto. It was a coupon for a free bowl of ramen at Ichiraku Ramen Shop.

"I know it's not a lot, but I know how much you like it, so I'm sure you'd enjoy that a lot more than I would. And don't feel so bad. I'm sure that someday you'll find someone else." She smiled while she talked.

He looked at her incredulously.

"You know, someone who's perfect for you. Someone who will make you happy and that you will like a lot more than me."

Naruto stared deeply at her friend. For a moment, he was a bit surprised to listen to such possibilities he had never thought of. 

"Thanks, Sakura, but no thanks."

"Huh?" She felt helpless again.

"By this point, the entire town knows about what happened. They know I'm a potential danger. They are all staring at me as if they were looking at Kyuubi himself, just like they used to when I was a kid. It's like my childhood all over again. Just take a moment and think about it. 

Who in their right mind would ever even think about being with me? I'm practically a half-demon! Face it, I don't have the slightest shot at l-"

He struggled to finish the sentence. He felt as if he didn't know how to complete that last word. He knew what the word was for he had heard it before. But still, it felt like such a strange word to him. One that he rarely used and didn't hear very often. Sakura just stood there with her mouth open. Those words didn't sound like him at all.

"What's happening to you? The Naruto I know doesn't give up just like that."

"This isn't the same as winning a fight." He spoke in a way that was so deep, Sakura couldn't help but to feel completely surprised. "Hell, when it comes to that, being who I am helps, but that's completely different. You'd have to be either really desperate or crazy to like me. Plus, I don't think anybody might even feel sorry for me. They'd be too afraid I might "explode" again."

"Naruto-" She said approaching him, but he started to walk away. He turned his head to look at her while he walked.

"Besides, let's be realistic. This is real life. It's not as if by magic I'll find someone who's right for me. It's not as if a miracle will fall from the sky and hit me in the-"

WHAM! Just as he was turning at the corner of Ino's shop, someone had quickly bumped right into him and knocked him down to the ground. He did not know who it was. That person's head landed right on his chest, forcing the air in Naruto's lungs out. The back of his head hit the ground hard. He let out a short scream of pain with the little air left in him.

"Watch it, buddy! I'm walking here!" He said when the air returned to him. He tried to tilt his head upwards to see who it was. "Huh?"

He realized the person wasn't a guy, as this was his first thought. It was a girl. Apparently, she was unconscious. From what he could see, her head was covered with long, dark, raven hair that shined with the moonlight. He felt her chest around his stomach. Given by how it felt, it was definitely a girl's bosoms.

"Hinata?"

Her eyes popped open. Her face went completely pale, and almost simultaneously, turned a fiery red. She instantly hopped to her feet, freaking out.

"N-Naruto! I-I-I'm so-sorry! It-it's just- I-I mean, I was- I didn't- Th-the thing is that- I- Y-You see-" She softly squealed in frustration. She put her palms together in front of him and bent her head downwards. 

'Just what I thought,' thought Naruto. 'Sacred as hell of me.'

"Hinata, it's OK." He said. "I wasn't paying attention either."

"Oh, I see. Sorry." She said meekly. She was more relaxed now. Her hands were now at the height of her chest. Silence followed.

'Come on. Say something to him.' She said to herself in her thoughts. 'Don't just stand there.'

"So…Naruto," She stared twiddling her fingers. "How are you fee-"

"Hinata?" He interrupted. "Can I have my coupon back?"

"Huh?" She looked startled for a moment. "What do you m-?" She started as she looked down to find a small piece of paper stuck to her jacket's zipper right at her chest. She gasped and let out a tiny shriek. Her face turned scarlet again. 

'Oh, no!' She thought. 'A good chance to talk with Naruto and I'm ruining it! What do I do know! OK, OK… just stay calm and give him the coupon.' Hesitantly, she obeyed her thoughts and pulled the paper from her zipper and handed it to him. She was too embarrassed to look at him in the eye. When she handed it to him, he didn't say anything.

"So, Naruto," she tried to speak again, "I heard…you got out of the hospital today." She resumed her twiddling. "H-How are you?" 

"I'm fine. I've been better but I'll manage." He said. He knew that despite the fact that he wasn't in a good mood right now, he had to try to hide make it look like he was.

"T-T-That's good to hear. I-I mean, not the "been better" part, but the "your fine" part." Her face only grew redder in embarrassment. 

"Thanks for the flowers, by the way." He said. She looked up to him. Her face was still red but for an entirely different reason. She felt her blood quickly rushing around her head, intensifying her pulse. She was starting to feel dizzy. "I didn't mean to get you and everyone else so worried."

"W-Well, you see…" She was startling again. Her fingers moved faster. "I-It's just that-" As she struggled, Naruto looked at her confused. "Are you feeling OK? You look a little sick."

"O-Oh, don't worry, I'm fine really." She nervously smiled at him. "You see, the reason why I sent you flowers…" she searched for an answer again. "… you see, I felt that…that I… that it was the right thing to do. I mean, you gave me- well, all of us- a big scare. We were worried."

"Yeah, that's what I've heard." He said. His tone was neutral. "So, what are you doing out here so late by yourself?"

"Me? Oh, well, I went to visit my mother." She was feeling more comfortable now.

"Your mother?"

"Well, her grave actually."

"Oh, I'm sorry." He said with a bit of feeling.

"Don't worry, it's fine. I really don't talk about her much. You see, I would have gone visit her sooner, but I've been busy today so I've only found the time to do it just now. I should have been home a long time ago, so that's why-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down." The blonde ninja interrupted. "You said you went to visit your mother's grave?"

Hinata gave a puzzled look at Naruto. She quickly snapped back to her senses and answered.  
"Yeah."

Naruto started walking side to side along the street, rubbing his brow with his left hand, grumbling to himself. Hinata's gaze quickly followed him as he moved not sure if she should say something.

"Naruto, is something-"

"THAT'S IT!" All trace of sadness and misery was wiped away from Naruto's face. He was now jumping and smiling with his mouth open. He was so excited all of a sudden that he grabbed Hinata by her shoulders and pulled her towards himself. Her pale face went fiery again. 

"Hinata, you just gave me a totally awesome idea!" He shouted. "Thank you so much!" With that, her put her arms around her neck and hugged her tightly. Hinata felt a little choked, but wasn't really bothered by it. What did bother her was that she was feeling dizzy and about to faint. 

"I owe you won. See you later!" He jumped as high as he could and disappeared in the distance. Hinata stood there frozen for a few seconds, feeling like her mind had been shut down briefly. When she snapped back to herself, she gasped and turned around.

"Naruto! There's something I want to ask... you." By the time she spoke, he was gone. She stared at the horizon of houses in disillusion.

"What is wrong with me?" She asked herself. 

Hinata had been so distracted that she didn't notice that Sakura had been standing there the whole time. When their eyes locked, she gasped. It was just as it had been in the flower shop. They were looking at each other and neither of them knew what to do. They just stood there for what seemed to be five minutes when finally Hinata broke the silence.

"Hello." She said shyly.

"Hey," answered Sakura. "how are you?"

"I'm fine. Thank you."

"Are you OK?"

"What's that? Oh, yes, the fall. I'm OK."

"Good to hear that." Once again, the silence was so great, you could hear the gentle breeze going by. The feeling of awkwardness that neither of them could shake off returned. They knew they had to say something eventually.

"So…" started Sakura, "it's nice to see Naruto's OK."

"Oh, yes. I-I'm glad he's back." Hinata stuttered. "He looks a little different now, don't you think?"

"Don't worry. I'm sure that it's just something Lady Tsunade or Master Jiraiya told him. But…" She stopped herself before continuing. She hesitated at the thought of saying what she was thinking she would say to Hinata. "He did seem different. He's more…empathic. It's like he now wants to do everything on his own, whether it's training or bringing back Sasuke. He looks a lot more serious than usual."

'That doesn't sound much like the usual Naruto. Oh, I hope he'll be alright soon.' The Kunoichi thought.

"Hmmm." She sighed with her mouth closed. "But, do you know anything about his condition? You know, regarding the demon?"

"Not as far as I now." 

"What else do we need to know?" Both girls heard a familiar voice. Someone had suddenly appeared from inside the small building by their side It was Ino, now in her normal clothing, as well as TenTen. "Lady Tsunade already explained us everything." She continued.

"Shouldn't you mind other people's conversations?" said Sakura defiantly.

"What "other people's conversations"? Thanks to that big mouth of his, I'm pretty sure the entire town heard him shout."

Hinata turned slightly away. TenTen gave a mean look at Ino quickly.

"But nobody's perfect." She added.

Hinata faced them again.

"So, what happened?" Ino asked Sakura. She looked back at her confused.

"You know, how'd it go between you two?"

When Sakura understood, her friend's point, she looked for the most appropriate words to say.

"Well, physically, he looks the same. The only thing different about him is that he doesn't seem normal, at least for him. Now, what really creeped me out was that he actually apologized to me for everything that's happened."

All the other girls got closer to Sakura, highly interested.

"He blamed himself for everything. Sasuke's escape, the demon's outbreak, what he said to me that day…it was creepy to hear him talk like that. It's just not usual coming from him in such a way."

"Really?" asked Ino, doubtfully.

"So, what did you want to ask him?" TenTen asked Hinata. She suddenly lost some of her breath and turned a little pink. 

"W-what do you mean?"

"It looked like you were about to ask him something before he left."

She had no idea what to answer. She started twiddling her index fingers in front of her. 

"I-I just... you see… the t-thing is th-that I wa- I-I-I"

Everyone turned to Hinata. She started to feel the pressure.

"I-I'm sorry, She finally said," but I really need to go home now. My father must be worried. Good night." And with that, she was gone in the blink of an eye. The other girls stared into the direction she had gone to.

Ino sighed deeply. "Something's never change, do they?"

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura.

"Duh! She's totally crushing on Naruto, even after all that's happened!"

"I knew you were shallow, but not like this, Ino."

"Look, I know what she thinks about him. I completely understand that she likes him for him and not for the evil monster or demon or whatever inside of him. But still, it's like her feelings for him have totally remained unchanged despite what we saw. I mean, isn't she afraid that it might happen again? I'm sure she does remember what Lady Tsunade and Master Jiraiya told us that other day."

"I trust Lady Tsunade. I'm sure she'll know what to do to help Naruto."

"Well, she better think of something quick. According to what she said, what's holding that…thing in place is wearing out."

"Hinata must feel pretty bad right now." said TenTen, slightly changing the subject. "She still likes him, but she's more embarrassed than ever. Now that everyone knows about the demon, she must be ashamed to admit or to show, more or less, that she has a crush on the bearer of that terrible beast." 

"You're right." Ino followed. "I wonder what her father thinks. He's obviously aware of Hinata's feelings and it's obvious he will want to protect her from him." 

"Do you think we should do it?"

"Do what?" Sakura asked.

"You see, Ino and I have been talking this over for a while today and we think that we should do something to help Hinata."

"You mean to hook him up with Naruto?" She asked incredulously. "How do you plan to do that?"

"The details are a bit sketchy, but we're working on it." Ino said. "Interested?"

Sakura took her time before she answered. "I-I don't know. I mean, I have brought enough trouble to Naruto already. I don't think I should."

"Come on, it'll be fun!" She had walked right to her side with her eyes beaming. "You know you want to!"

"I said no." She stressed.

"Come on, you're his closest friend. We could use your help."

"I don't think I'm not even his friend right now."

"Well, how about this?" TenTen walked to her side as well. "Picture it this way. Sure, Naruto is mad with you know, but if you help him get with someone else he'll be grateful. He'll forget about the fight and things will be back to normal between you two." She explained while making signals with her hands. 

"You really think he will forget?"

"Well, he may not forget about what happened, but he will forgive you."

Sakura thought over the situation for a while. She had to admit to herself that she missed the old Naruto and wanted to see him again. He was his friend after all and had helped her many times. This was a good way to set things right.

"All right, let's do it." She said. Ino shouted a small cheer. "But, do you guys have a plan?" Ino's face went blank. 

"Uuuuum…" 

"Then how do you expect to do anything!" 

"Oh, yeah! Well, let's see you think of something! You're the traitor." Sparks were flying out of each others eyes.

"Hey, calm down!" TenTen shouted. Both girls turned to her. She spoke firmly and thoroughly. "Look, here's the plan. Tomorrow morning, we'll be spying on both of them and on what they are doing. From then on, we'll be making sure they meet each other constantly. Who knows? Naruto sounded pretty hopeless. He may get interested in Hinata. Think of it as working behind the scenes for them. We're gonna have to improvise depending on what happens. We can't tell anyone, especially Hinata, about what we are doing. Any questions!"

Ino and Sakura looked to each other. They both shook their heads negatively.

"All right, we'll meet right here tomorrow at 9:00AM sharp. Well, see you then. Good night."

"Good night," said Sakura and Ino in unison. TenTen had soon vanished. Now, the two girls turned to face each other. Ino noticed that Sakura was still depressed. She put her hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. We'll make sure it happens. He'll be back to his old self in no time."

Sakura looked up to her. Her reassuring gaze and serenity were true. She smiled.

"Thanks." She said. With a strong leap, she was gone off on her way home. As she crossed several rooftops, many thoughts swirled around in her mind while the air made her pink hair cover her face. She was thinking of what could happen if their future plans would come to fruition. What if Naruto and Hinata did wind up together? What if Naruto actually develops feelings for her? What would happen to her? What if Sasuke doesn't come back? It had been a long time, almost three years ago, since she felt this lonely.

'Wait, what am I even worried about?' She thought to herself. 'Naruto's my friend. It's not like I'm getting jealous about this whole thing. I like Sasuke, not Naruto. I mean I do like him, but just as a friend…don't I?' Her eyes widened at these thoughts. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"First of all, I appreciate that you could come here on such short notice. I know you all just returned from a mission and you must be exhausted, but it is extremely important for us to tell you this. What happened, what you saw back there, it wasn't meant to happen until you were all ready to face it." Tsunade announced in her office. She was sitting at her desk. By her left, Jiraiya was standing, eyes closed and his arms crossed, his head slightly tilted downward. In front of them were the Konoha 11, minus Sakura and Naruto. 

"What I'm about to tell you is something that only the village's population over the age of, say 17, is aware, with the exception of Sakura, as she learned about this before. It's about Naruto's condition."

Ino showed a mixture of signs of confusion and jealousy when Tsunade said Sakura's name.

Jiraiya followed up on what Tsunade started. He waited a brief moment. "Naruto is the bearer of a demon. A more appropriate term for his condition is a Jinchuruki. He possesses not just any demon, but the Nine-Tailed Fox, also known as Kyuubi." Several quiet gasps and concerned stares appeared in the room. "You probably heard the stories about it. 

A demon so powerful, it could create tsunamis and earthquakes with a whip of one of its many tails. In a matter of seconds, he could wipe out all life on this continent. The thing about the demon was that it remained hidden from all civilization. All of the great tailed beasts such as Kyuubi are scattered across the world away from humans. Nobody knew where it was, but someone found out and decided to exploit the creature. It was the same man that started the Akatsuki, Madara Uchiha."

One again, the entire room was in surprise.

"When he and the First Hokage created our village, they eventually started to disagree on how to run it, which inevitably brought conflict between the both of them, resulting in Madara's banishment from the village. He created the Akatsuki as a cover to operate in the shadows for his own purposes. When he learned the whereabouts of the demon, he used the Mangekyo Sharingan to possess it and use it to attack the village. That was fifteen years ago. Many brave ninja lost their lives that night to protect the village. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't take the demon out. Not only is it incredibly strong, but he's also extremely fast and possesses highly rapid regenerating abilities. Any attack against it and it would have little effect. Now-"

"Hey, but if the demon is so powerful, how could he be possessed by the Sharingan?" It was Kiba who interrupted.

"Please, don't interrupt." Tsunade said. She turned to Jiraiya. She didn't know the answer to the question so she expected he would.

"We don't know. There is a connection between the demon and the Sharingan, but it is really complex to describe. Now, as I was saying, everyone feared for the worst and thought this would be the end for our village, but the Fourth Hokage stood his ground valiantly against Kyuubi. He knew he couldn't kill it, so he thought of the only reasonable course of action: seal it away. He used a very complex sealing Jutsu known as the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. It required a massive amount of Chakra to take effect, and combined with the incredible power of the demon he was required to withstand, it was extra deadly. But miraculously, he was able to seal the power away, at the cost of his own life, of course. Now, he needed a human vessel to carry the demon. Before facing the demon, he asked other ninjas to prepare a shrine for the seal. There, the person chosen to carry Kyuubi had to remain until the procedure was complete. 

It was Naruto, a newborn baby, who was elected for this arduous task that he would have to carry all his life."

"But why him?" Neji Hyuga interrupted. "Why use only a child and not someone who knows more about the demon such as yourself?"

"I said-" Tsunade was about to say sternly. 

"It's OK, Tsunade." Jiraiya interrupted her. "Alright, from now on, save all your questions for when we're finished. I'll try to be as specific as possible. So please, don't interrupt. Now, to answer your question Neji, the seal works best when it is an infant who carries the seal. An older person's body might have imperfections not suitable for it to work, which would result in the death of said person and the fox would still be free. Since we couldn't do any checkups at the moment, we had to use a newborn infant. By pure luck, or coincidence, Naruto was chosen for this. He was a healthy baby and seemed right. He was set in place and it was only a matter of time before he started feeling the evil spirit's chakra enter his body. Thankfully, the only side effects Naruto experienced were the scars on his cheeks, which ironically resemble the demon's whiskers. I guess those could count as birthmarks, seeing he was so little. Oh yeah, the seal also left its mark on his stomach. After the attack, Madara disappeared again. We believe he's still with the Akatsuki. Now, it was the Fourth Hokage's dying wish to let the village know that they should treat Naruto as one of their own, not like a monster. It wasn't his fault after all that he had to carry such a heavy burden the rest of his life. But nonetheless, the villagers just couldn't forgive Kyuubi for what he had done. It was responsible for the deaths of many of their families, their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters. Which is why Naruto was on outcast all his early life. His parents died the night it attacked, so he had no one to look after him. He was on his own. But what's worse about this is that he wasn't even aware of why he was treated like this. He didn't know that he possessed a demon of devastating power within him until he was twelve years old. By the time I started training him before the Chunin Exams, he already knew about it. I believe he learned it from a rogue ninja named Mizuki. Iruka once told me that when Naruto failed the admission exam into the academy for the third time, Mizuki tricked him into stealing a scroll possessing many advanced Jutsus. Thankfully, Iruka managed to stop them on time, with a little help from Naruto. He also said it was from that scroll that he learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which is quite impressive since he couldn't even perform a simple clone Jutsu during his days in the Academy. His separation from society has led to certain aspects of Naruto's personality, such as his determination, confidence, and strength. But of course, not everything was good. Due to the fact that he was an outsider, his one way of getting attention was of creating trouble in the village, such as graffiti on the faces of the Hokages in Hokage Mountain. The thrill or ability of getting away with this might have led to his cocky attitude. 

In fact, some say that the fox shares some personality traits with Naruto. For example, it's hard to discipline wild animals like a fox, which is why Naruto may have taken an odd approach to certain situations, or why it's hard for him to be mature sometimes. Also, appearances can fool him easier than regular people. Thankfully, he knows his Jutsus when it comes to tight situations. At this point, I'd say it's very difficult to tell what comes from whom. One thing that is clear is that even though Naruto is naturally persistent and strong, he is granted great stamina not seen in regular Shinobi and regeneration from damage. This is all thanks to the demon sealed within him. This increases exponentially when he calls upon its power. The only problem is that Kyuubi's demonic chakra is in constant conflict with Naruto's. This caused an unbalanced that prevented Naruto from executing any type of Jutsu as successfully as others. For example, to make a single clone, he had to use the triple amount of Chakra a regular Shinobi would use to produce six. This is why he struggled so much executing any Jutsu while training at the academy. Before the Chuunin Exams, I was able to adjust the seal. You see, the Fourth Hokage was my student. He might have created the seal, but I still learned a few tricks from it."

Jiraiya had everyone in the room hanging by his every word. "Anyway, he had to struggle to get to where he is today by himself, at least until he entered the Academy to become a ninja, where he met Iruka. He had lost his parents during the attack as well. He was one of the few people who knew about Naruto's secret and the only one who respected him at the time. From then on, as a ninja, he has fought to earn the respect of everyone. This town, his fellow Shinobi, and me and Tsunade. That's what has made him so strong. But now that the story about the demon's outbreak is out, well… let's just say he's gonna start from zero again. Another problem Naruto has to face as bearer of the Nine-Tails is the Akatsuki. These rogue ninja only look for the greatest power in the world and call it their own. They have tried to get Naruto many times now, but fortunately, he's still safe. As you may or may not know, Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's brother, is a member of the Akatsuki. Recently, he betrayed his comrades and killed them all. With his Sharingan, he copied all of their abilities before they died. Now, he possesses all of their strengths and weaknesses, as well as Shark Skin, Kisame Hoshigaki's sword. He was one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Shark Skin is a sword that can cut through pure Chakra and cut people into many pieces in a single stroke." Ino, who was standing in the back, shuddered suddenly and felt goose bumps. 

"Now, back to Naruto. It's all these problems that have made his life more dangerous than most ninja. Now, here's why we have brought you here. It's best if you learn right now that the seal that is holding the demon in place is weakening at an accelerated rate. A faster one at which it was already decreasing." He stopped for a moment. Intrigue was in the faces of everyone in front of him. Tsunade finally spoke again.

"After several examinations on Naruto, we have found the source for this acceleration. During the fight with Itachi, Kabuto, and Orochimaru, several Chakra points and small parts of his nervous system were paralyzed, creating a blockage in his system, which prevented his access to Kyuubi's chakra. Now, whenever Naruto is faced with mortal danger or is enraged or stressed to a certain point, the demonic chakra starts to leek from him without being commanded. We believe that during this fight, the stress, anger, frustration and fear of death was too much to be handled and the chakra just forced itself into him and erupted violently, thus damaging the seal. With this power, he was able to beat his enemies easily. But, there is a great danger to using this chakra. You see, there are several states, or phases, of this power. Each one of them is marked by a number of the demon's tails formed by chakra coming out of Naruto's body. In stages 1 through 3, he can use the power while still being conscious of his own actions. If he goes beyond that, the demon takes over him and he's unable to tell the difference between friend and foe. When he reaches stage 4, a cloak of chakra resembling the fox surrounds him, making him look like a miniature version of Kyuubi. This is so intense, that it burns his body."

Hinata, who was somewhere in the middle, gulped lowly and felt her heart beat strongly. Her hands were slightly shaking.

"His blood starts to merge with the chakra surrounding him. Of course, the chakra also restores the dead cells in his body. This cycle of destruction and repair is repeated again and again at such a fast rate, that his cellular structure is damaged and becomes unbalanced. The more this happens, the more will Naruto's life expectancy drop."

Hinata led out a gasp and covered her mouth.

"As the number of tails increases, his strength increases. We used to have a theory saying that the huge amount of concentrated chakra, which is too big for his body, wouldn't allow him to move much. But new studies suggest that when he reaches stage 6, his agility is as fast as it is the fox's. 

Stage 6 is the stage we think he reached during the fight, which allowed him to take out his opponents so easily. From what we know, by the time you had arrived to check on Naruto, his power had already decreased and his physical appearance was back to normal, except for his eyes, which were red, and his fingernails that had grown into claws. He was probably down to stage 1. When we checked on him, we were surprised to find out that his wounds weren't healing and the massive amount of blood he had lost wasn't recovering. It's truly remarkable that he survived. It's difficult to say at this point how long it will take him to recuperate."

"The main reason why we called you here is because we feel that now is the best time for you to learn this." Jiraiya spoke again. "It's not easy living a life when you have to go through what he goes through all his life. We know that the villagers may start to hate him more so again, but we encourage you to be more supportive. You are his comrades. You must stand by him through this just as he would stand by you if you had to struggle through something as tragic as this. Don't fear him. Respect him and treat him as you always have."

"Now, any questions?" Tsunade asked.

Ino quickly raised her hand. "Lady Tsunade, why did Sakura learn about this earlier and why didn't I? I'm your apprentice too, you know."

"Yes, but while you were focusing on my teachings, Sakura was also learning about other things, such as the Akatsuki. She learned about Itachi Ichiha and the search for the powerful tailed beasts, such as the one the Kazekage possesses. It is here where she learned about Kyuubi and what happened to it. Besides, not so long ago, she and Naruto were sent on a mission to investigate on Orochimaru's whereabouts. Back then, she witnessed the demon's power for the first time."

"But wouldn't someone teach Naruto how to harness the demon's power?" Shino now asked.

"That was a big part of his training when we left the village. He had to learn about the threat of the Akatsuki, so I had to teach him how to control the power." Jiraiya answered. "I guess I was wrong to judge Naruto's emotions. And at the rate the seal weakens, this could get harder with time"

Choji raised his hand "Why couldn't you tell people to treat Naruto right? If it's the demon they hate why should he take all the insults?"

"You can't go around telling people what to think." Tsunade said. "It's not ethical. We know it was hard for Naruto, but we couldn't just make a law regarding people's thoughts towards him or the demon. Even if it was him, they could see Kyuubi. The plan we had for Naruto was that he would be recognized as a hero for bearing the demon when he became eighteen. In the meantime, he should have been treated like everyone else. Unfortunately, things like this happen."

The room was still now.

"Well, any more questions?"

For a while, the room was quiet. Some looked around at their comrades, looking if there was going to be another question.

"Well, in that case…"

A hand was slowly and timidly raised among the ninjas. Everyone turned to look at the owner of that hand. She was trembling slowly and her hand was over her heart. Her voice quivered as she tried to talk.

"W-What will happen to Naruto if the seal breaks completely?"

Tsunade quickly took a look at a pile of papers she had on her desk. She pulled one out from in between.

"When the Fourth Hokage sealed Kyuubi inside of Naruto, both their life forces, souls if you will, got fused together. Once this happened, it couldn't be reversed. This means that if Naruto dies, so will Kyuubi. Now that the seal is weakening, the fox might jump at the chance of trying to break free, but we believe it's not even aware that it's impossible. So, if the seal breaks, our theory is that it will take over Naruto permanently. But, due to the large amount of Chakra that will be quickly expelled from his body, the rate at which it will break down will accelerate so fast, his body won't take it. Kyuubi might not even make it when he tries to take over completely. They will both die instantly."

The sound of silence was unbelievable. It felt like time was standing still.

"You…all may leave now." Tsunade couldn't help but to feel awkward. "Thank you."

Everyone left the room slowly without making eye contact with anyone. Hinata felt like an idiot. She almost regretted asking that question. She stopped and let everyone pass her by. The last one to leave the room was Shikamaru. When he stepped out and made sure there was distance between her and him, she turned to Tsunade and Jiraiya.

"Is there anything we can do to help Naruto?" She asked in a tone of worry.

"You all just came back from a mission. You must be exhausted. Go home right now and get some rest. If we need anything, we'll let you now." Tsunade said.

"But, there must be-"

"Hinata." Her voice was firm. "That's an order."

Hinata felt powerless and put her hands to her sides. She bowed her head and left. She slowly closed the door behind her.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Jiraiya was standing in the balcony of his room. He was standing with his arms crossed and his gaze to the ground. Faint voices were coming from below the street. He constantly checked to make sure who was passing by. Nobody familiar was showing up. He sighed impatiently as he backed against the wall again.

"Expecting someone else?" A voice said to his right. Jiraiya knew who it was immediately. 

"You're late. But then again, what can I expect from you?"

"I get enough if that from Naruto and Sakura. Don't you start with that."

"Well, I know why they say it."

They went quiet briefly.

"Don't worry." Said Jiraiya. "As far as anyone is concerned, the only truth they think Naruto needs to learn is that his parents were killed by the demon. Only you and I know the real truth."

"That's a relief. For a minute there, I thought they were suspecting something."

"If they knew, we wouldn't be here without anyone else knowing." 

Kakashi took a deep sigh.

"Why did this have to happen? Not just the outbreak, but this whole problem. Why did Minato have to die? Why did Sarutobi have to sacrifice himself?"

"You know they were only doing it to defend what they stood for." 

"I know, but we need them now more than ever, especially Naruto. We were fools to have been so reckless. We should have made sure that we helped Sarutobi. He knows Orochimaru better than any of us. He would be helping us if we had save him back then. He would be here for Naruto. And Minato as well. His knowledge of the demon would be priceless."

"They should have been there for him a long time ago. But what happened was inevitable. We have to face the facts. Naruto has no one like that anymore."

"What about Kushina?"

"We haven't learned anything from her since the attack. She could be dead for all we know."

"They never found her body."

"She could be anywhere. You know what they say, it's like looking for the needle in the haystack. We're not going to be tearing up the world looking for her. Besides, if she was alive, she would have returned."

"Something could be holding her back."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, but there must be a reason."

"But it's like I said. We can't go looking around without any leads. We already tried looking in the Land of the Whirlpool. We found nothing there. What makes you think you'll find anything anywhere else?"

Kakashi didn't answer. Jiraiya rubbed his eyes with his fingers. 

"So what will it be Kakashi? If he stays here, he'll be a danger to the people, which will only make him feel worse. If we take him out, he'll be an easier target than what he is right now." 

"It's best if we stick to what we decided with the others. He must lay low and stay in the village as much as possible. As long as we are here, the Akatsuki will be keeping their distance." 

"Understood."

"By the way, how's the research been going?"

"Not good. Minato was an unparalleled genius so far ahead of his time. However he designed that seal we'll never know. We've only come up with dead ends so far. This is out of my league so far."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Well, excuse but I must be going. If you ever find anything, let me know. I want to be informed of everything you discover. I don't want to be excluded from this, OK?"  
Jiraiya just waved his hand. With that, Kakashi was gone.


	6. Chapter 6: Painted Black

CH

Hi! If you're a devoted Naruto fan like me, you keep checking the Internet for the latest episodes. While all that's cool, it brings me some trouble because I'm trying to stay as true as possible to how the series is progressing while adding my own elements as well. This chapter went through several different incarnations (and titles) until I settled for the one you're looking at here.

By the way, this episode is much longer than what I expected. Oh yeah, that whole crossover thing…turns out it didn't fit in the overall story.

**CH. 6: PAINTED BLACK**

_Saturday, October 29_

_Dear diary:_

_Something amazing just happened today. Naruto is finally out of the hospital! I learned about it when I went to pick up some flowers for my mother at Ino's shop. Unfortunately, I had an unexpected run-in with him on my way home. I was so late to get home I knew my father was going to be angry. It was a good thing he let me off the hook gently this time. But I totally wasn't ready to see Naruto again. I just bumped right into him when I turned at a corner. I realized it was him but it was too late to react. I think I passed out but I immediately woke up when I realized that my face was on his chest. I was so embarrassed; I just didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say. I know that everyone is afraid of him again and he's aware of that, but I really want to support him. The problem is that I don't know how to treat him because I don't know how he'll react. He looked really different from the Naruto I know. He seemed a lot more serious than usual and spoke without that cheerful, energetic enthusiasm. I'm pretty sure it was because of what he learned about what will happen to him if the demon broke loose. I sure hope he starts to feel better soon. I wish there was a way I could help Lady Tsunade and Master Jiraiya to find a way to cure him._

_Anyway, I saw this as a perfect opportunity to talk with him after a long time, but I completely made a fool of myself. He had a small coupon that got stuck in my jacket right at my chest when we bumped into each other. After all that was done, I was able to talk with him for a while, but he then seemed really interested in the fact that I went to visit my mother's grave. Suddenly, he told me I gave him a great idea and he hugged me. I thought I was going to faint. On the inside of my head, I could hear a voice that was just screaming with joy. After that, he just left. I didn't realize that Sakura had been standing there this whole time.__ At first, we were afraid to talk to each other, but we did eventually. She said that when they went to the road that leads to the outside of the village to remember Sasuke, he spoke in a similar way to how he spoke to me. Also, he felt guilty for everything that's happened: the outbreak of Kyuubi and Sasuke running away. He also apologized for what he said to Sakura after his fight with Orochimaru and Itachi. I think that was really noble. It was so kind of him to forgive Sakura even if she was responsible for what happened to him, especially when nobody, including myself, would have expected that. I don't think any of us would have forsaken her if she did something like that._

_This may sound good, but it's not all that good. I'm worried that we might stop seeing the Naruto we__ know. I like it that he's acting more grown up, but I still want to see the Naruto I really like. The one that is always so full of energy, life, and determination to do anything. I know I messed up tonight, but tomorrow is a new day. It's another chance for me to get closer to Naruto. I want to show him that not everyone fears him because of the demon. I'll show him I like him for who he is. I will make sure he starts to notice me a lot more. Okay, maybe I'm getting a bit over my head here, but I know I must stop being so timid when he's around. If I want to be with him, I need to change. I know I can do this. I will change. I won't go back on my word. That's my way of the ninja._

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Naruto woke up at noon. He had never slept in such as this. His head felt heavy and full of pain he couldn't get rid off. His eyes felt fuzzy and hard to keep open. In many ways, he felt worse than how he had felt yesterday. He thought to himself why should he get up. If he did, that would mean he would have to go out, where people stare daggers at him and curse him. Nonetheless, with a deep groan, he lifted his head from the pillow and got up. Light was coming in from the windows, revealing his dusty, messy apartment.

'Oh, yeah.' Naruto thought. He realized that he came back so late at night he hadn't remembered it had been over a month since he had set foot in it. He pushed the covers and stepped out of the bed. He walked to his laundry and opened a closet, where he pulled out a broom, a dust pan, a piece of cloth, and some cleaning detergent. He started sweeping the floors, dusting the furniture, cleaning the windows and polishing them to a shine. He did all this forcedly and with no motivation.

When he was done, he wiped his brow and pressed himself against the broom while standing up. He observed the results of his work while he tilting from side to side. His apartment was back to its former state. After enough recess, he put all his cleaning materials away. He started wandering around the room until he opened the door to his balcony. He walked all the way to the edge and leaned on the railing. He could see Hokage Mountain from where he was. Down, he could see the busy streets of Konoha. He saw crowded marketplaces and children playing in green fields. He scoffed as he withed them. He started examining the entire village. He looked around quickly as if desperately looking for something but had no luck.

'Some much for a good idea.' Naruto thought. 'What is going on here?'

'_Awfully pensive, are you?' _He jolted when he heard that booming, distorted voice inside his head.

"You scared the hell out of me!" Naruto shouted out loud. "Can't you even give me a sign before you appear all of a sudden?"

'_You hear me inside your head. It's not like I can tell you when I'm here or not.' _Said Kyuubi.

'_Listen, I've been meaning to talk to you about what happened yesterday.'_

"What makes you think I'm interested?"

'_I may have overreacted. You see, for a human, I really like you. But you must understand I'm not pleased at all about my current state. How would you like it if you were locked up for fifteen miserable years with no escape? Please understand I only seek my freedom. __I would see your death as a-' _

"A necessary sacrifice? You wish. There's no way I'm letting you outta there."

Kyuubi howled in laughter.

'_What makes you think you have th__e power to suppress me?'_

"I'll find a way. I'll always do."

'_Still the optimist, are you? Face it, you could never win any fight if it wasn't for me.'_

Naruto didn't answer this time. He just walked towards his closet and pulled out his clothes. Kyuubi stopped as he undressed and stepped in the shower. The water on his face felt refreshingly satisfying. Kyuubi didn't start talking until he was done bathing.

'_I bet you don't even have a plan to bring back that Uchiha kid, do you?'_

Naruto stopped briefly. He then continued drying himself with a towel.

'_In my opinion, you're better off without him. He's nothing but a power-hungry bastard that only thinks about__ his own power and glory. He's twisted and rotten. That's nothing like you, you that are so loyal to this miserable town. You can't change his mind. He is walking down a path you could never step on.'_

"Since when do you tell me what to do? I'm going to find him, I'm gonna beat the living hell out of him, and I'm gonna drag his sorry ass all the way back here. I can't call myself future Hokage if I can't rescue my friends." He threw the towel into a basket full of dirty clothes. He then started getting dressed.

'_You mean you still plan on being Hokage after what's happened? Those people hate us again, just like all those years ago.__ This is why you should let my power consume you so you can take your revenge on these people. You know, humans like you are impossible to understand.'_

"Story of my life. Besides, those people are ignorant. They only fear what they can't understand…or anything that's big and scary and looks like a threat to them, for that matter." Naruto said as he hung Tsunade's necklace around his neck and hid it beneath his black t-shirt. He pulled his jacket that was hanging behind a chair, put it on, and zipped it up. He opened a drawer and got his wallet. He grabbed his headband from the table by his bed and wrapped it tightly around his forehead in a knot. With a quick look in the mirror, he went to the kitchen to get some breakfast. When he opened the refrigerator, he pulled himself away with a grimace across his face. He covered his nose and let out a disgusted sigh. Naruto growled in frustration. He then noticed he had done it again just like he had yesterday.

"By the way, I've been meaning to talk to you about this. Yesterday, I started walking on all fours, smelled all kinds of different things, and I saw _and _heard music coming from hundreds of yards away. Why weren't you answering when I asked you what's up?"

'_Like we really want to hear each other talk all day.'_

"Yeah, but that was urgent! Why didn't you answer?!" Naruto was now starting to lose his cool.

'_I must've been asleep.'_

Naruto sweat dropped. _"__You _go to sleep?"

'_You could say I was always asleep until you were confronted with a dangerous situation and you start to u__se my power. While I'm asleep, I know what happens to you but I can't do anything about it. It's like the seal is setting me in a state where my senses and motor skills are disabled until you call on my power or are faced with a life or death situation. Now that the seal is weakening, I can choose when I can be around talking to you or see what happens to you and when can I sleep.'_

"Sounds to me like you're living the life. You get to chill inside of me where no one can disturb you until I get in trouble and you show up for battle. I got to say, that's pretty sweet." He grabbed a large plastic bag from the kitchen and started tossing all the spoiled food into it.

'_Care to trade places?' _

"Nice try."

'_Fine, then. It's not like you'll have a choice.'_

"I'm sorry, but this ain't over 'till it's over." With that, he tied the bag into a knot. He grabbed his wallet and stuffed it into one of his pockets. He walked out of his apartment and shut the door closed. He slowly descended the stairs and walked around the corner of his building. He tossed the bag into a large container. He dusted his hands and started walking off.

Ino and Sakura were standing in front of Ino's shop with their backs to the door. Sakura was looking upwards with her hands behind her back while Ino had her arms cross and was patting the ground with her foot impatiently. She started biting her lip.

"Relax, would you?" Said Sakura. "She'll be here any minute."

"What's the point of her telling us to get here if she doesn't show up before we do?" Ino whined.

"Maybe she's working on something. You said she's the one that suggested this whole idea. She's probably planning something for us to do."

"I guess you're right." Ino sighed. "TenTen has been like Hinata's best friend ever since we brought back Naruto. Now that I mention it, she has been visiting the Hyuga clan a lot more frequently than usual."

"Maybe that's why they get along so well."

"I know, but I think there's something else."

"Well, both she and Neji are on Team Guy. They must be dealing with some mission assignments."

"Yeah, but I still think there must be another reason." She gasped. "Do you think she-" A quick flash of red and white started rushing towards her and stopped.

"Found him." TenTen said. "Come on, follow me."

"What took you so long?!" Ino was exasperated.

"Hello! I've been looking for our targets. Hurry up or we'll lose them." She was quickly gone the way she came.

"Hey, but why would you… ah, forget it. Wait up!" Shouted Ino dashing right behind her. Almost hesitantly, so did Sakura. She proceeded with a much slower pace than her friends. She was afraid to see Naruto again. She also felt awkward when she thought about going on with what had been planned. She doubted if she should continue.

"Hey, Sakura!" Exclaimed Ino up ahead. "What's holding you back there?"

Sakura slowly reacted as she was lost in her thoughts.

"Oh, it's-it's nothing. I'm coming." She picked up her pace to catch up.

"So where's Naruto anyway?" Ino asked TenTen.

She stopped at a nearby rooftop. "Right there." She signaled with her finger towards a large district to her right.

"The marketplace?" asked Sakura.

"I was on my way to the building where his apartment is and I had the luck to see him walk out

the front steps. This is where I last saw him. He was getting some groceries around here."

"But he could be anywhere by now. How do you plan on finding…?"

Someone was heard arguing right below the girls. They all peaked below to find an old

lady beating Naruto on the head with a stick. He was holding a plastic bag full of apples. He tried

to block her, but seemed to be holding back. Many people were gathering around them.

"OK, OK! You can keep it!" He handed the bag to the woman. She swiftly snatched it from his

hand. She scoffed at him and gave her back to him. With an angry frown, he left the small lot.

The small mass of people opened up to let him pass as they all stared at him.

"Poor guy." TenTen said.

"I guess news go a long way in this village." Ino followed. Sakura was quiet. She observed how

Naruto kept walking down the street, turning around to find a lot that wouldn't eye him as if to

tell him to drop dead. All three girls felt grief for their comrade. They were all watching what

they couldn't understand when they were children. They could feel the frustration and sadness within him, the feeling of isolation and loneliness. It was truly heartbreaking. He really was reliving his childhood.

"Anyway, have you seen Hinata?" Ino asked TenTen when Naruto had vanished.

"I went to her house before I started looking for Naruto, but she wasn't there. I haven't had luck ever since."

"So what do we do?"

"For now, we wait."

"Do we really have to?" asked a concerned Sakura. She had her hand on her chest. "Do we really have to watch him go through this?"

"I understand, but if this has to work, we can't let him out of her sights."

"Can't I go look for Hinata?"

"She could be anywhere for all we know. She could be receiving a mission assignment or who

knows what. It's best if for now we stick together. Now, let's go before he gets away."

For the rest of mid-day, the three Kunoichis spied on the blonde ninja, who was clueless of their snooping. Everywhere he went, there would be someone who gave him a mean look. Every time that happened, he would try to be nonchalant about it, as if to show he was used to it. By the seventh time it happened, he had had enough. It was too much anger and frustration for him to take. He turned to a small alley and made sure no one was around. Before he did, he looked around among the people to make sure nobody was following him. He walked all the way to the end and raised his hands to his chest, making the hand sign for the Transformation Jutsu. A small, white cloud surrounded him for a moment to reveal his disguise as Kakashi. Everything about his former sensei was present down to the last detail. The mask over his face, the platinum, bushy hair, and his headband that tilted to one side, covering his eye. He felt satisfied now that nobody seemed to notice him at all anymore.

"I can respect that." Sakura told herself.

Naruto continued carelessly along the many stands buying all that he needed to replace with the three spies not too far behind. They kept their distance and a low profile at all times to avoid suspicion. He friendlily waved at the people in the stands to masquerade his true identity and his gloomy outlook. Even with this advantage, he was aware of the obvious problem. With his free eye, he constantly looked around to make sure that the real Kakashi wasn't around.

When he was done, he went back home to leave his groceries. When he finished putting them away, he prepared some hot water for his favorite instant ramen.

"Looks like he'll be here for a while. Maybe we can use this time to look for Hinata. Both of you spread out and keep your eyes peeled for her." TenTen ordered.

"I'll check her home and then the training grounds." Ino suggested.

"I'll ask Lady Tsunade." Sakura said.

"I'll go check downtown." TenTen affirmed. They all took big leaps in the air and vanished in opposite directions.

When Naruto had finished his fill of ramen, he dumped the cups on a garbage can and headed out the door with haste. He dashed down the stairs and quickly started running. He soon started jumping through the air to increase momentum. Even if it was a little disturbing, he felt a rise of adrenaline that felt good. He soon got on all fours again and leaped with the pride of a wild beast. He found himself covering larger distances with each jump. He felt powerful and savage.

'I have to admit this is totally sweet.' He thought to himself. 'That doesn't mean I really want it, before you even think about it, OK?.'

Kyuubi was silent.

He arrived at the training grounds in the middle of the village. He picked one located by a small lake where hundreds of cods could be seen gliding across the water. There was a huge tree right beside it. He positioned himself under its shade and closed his eyes for a moment to gather his concentration. He inhaled deeply and relaxed himself. He felt the breeze going through his golden spikes, the shimmering of the water, the birds singing in the distance. He extended his right arm in front of him with his palm facing upwards. He once again took a deep breath and started to focus Chakra into his palm. At first, he seemed to be having no problem at all as his hand started radiating of the energy leaking out of it, but soon, his arm started to slightly quiver. He let out a small grunt and clenched his eyes shut tightly. Soon, the chakra on his palm started to spin into a sphere. The Rasengan was a lot smaller than it normally was since he usually did it with the help of one of his clones. Inside his head, he was telling himself he didn't need one. He started to bare his teeth as he pressed his jaw tightly and grunted in great effort. His entire arm was now shaking out of control.

'Don't stop. Don't stop. You can do this.' He kept thinking to himself, but the orb on his hand wasn't increasing in power. His grunts became intense shouts as the pressure started to make his arm hurt like it was being exposed to a large flame. He knew he had to work through the pain if he wanted to succeed. He started to feel the intensity of his chakra increase. The energy on his hand started to turn red. The pain felt like it was vanishing. Naruto immediately stopped and dropped his arm.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He shouted to Kyuubi out loud.

'_If you used my Chakra, you could do it. Don't be stupid. You can't do it with only one hand on your own.'_

"I can and I will! I don't need your power! Just you watch!"

'_Just try it. __Now that the seal is weaker, my chakra is leaked with much greater ease. You'll have no choice when you start to form the Rasengan.'_

"Shut up!" He tried building up Chakra again. He started off as before until he reached the unbearable pain. He struggled once again to increase the power in his hand, but the red chakra started to leak out. Naruto now had to concentrate on suppressing the demon's energy.

'_It's all useless.'_

The energy started to intensify. He had to stop again. Pearls of sweat now began to dot his face. He fought to recover his lost breath. He took a seat under the tree and placed his arms over his knees.

'_That was might foolish of you.'_

"I'll tell you when I want your advice, OK?" He tilted his head backwards towards the tree. He crawled over, again on all fours, towards the lake and dipped his hands in. He used the handful of water to splash it on his face and dipped them again to have a drink. The water was cool and tasted clean. He exhaled when he finished his drink. He then stared off onto the other side of the lake, where a small group of trees could be seen before the city itself.

"I never thought it would be this hard." Just then, he heard a creaking sound from behind him; the sound of a twig snapping. It was followed by distant rustling. Naruto turned towards the nearby brush and saw movement among the plants.

"Who's there?" Naruto shouted. "I know you're there so come out."

For a moment, no one seemed to answer, but the trees started moving again. Slowly, from behind one of the trunks, Hinata shyly poked her head out. She was blushing, which was already common for Naruto, and her eyes looked busy. Naruto was briefly shocked.

"Where you listening to that?! How long have you been standing there?!" He quickly asked. The girl slowly walked from behind the tree. She looked down and started playing with her fingers in familiar fashion.

"N-No, I-I was…just, um…nothing."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Y-You see, I was just…on my way here to train." She nervously explained herself. "I was on the other side of the lake when I heard you scream and I thought you might be in trouble. I-I didn't mean to interrupt you or anything. I was just…just…worried."

"Worried about what?" he asked

Hinata gasped and turned her head. She felt the color of her face was intensifying.

"W-well…about you. You were, um…talking with…the demon?"

"Yeah."

In an almost awkward kind of way, a bird flew over both their heads squawking.

"So, Naruto…what were you doing just now?"

"I'm trying to make a Rasengan with only one hand and without the help of a Shadow Clone."

"Oh, but why would you do that?"

"It should help my Chakra control. I want to be able to do it on my own power and without the Nine-Tails' chakra. Using them could be a sign of weakness."

"But Naruto, you're already strong."

"Apparently, it's not enough."

Hinata's face turned a little gloomy.

"Do you, uh…need any help?"

"Sorry, but I think it's best if I try to do it on my own. Thanks, anyway."

"But Naruto-"

"Hinata, please. I know you have good intentions, but this is something I must really do myself. And besides, I keep having conversations with Kyuubi randomly, so if you don't mind, could you just stay out of this?" He was firm and direct, but his tone was moderate. Hinata gently rested her fist over her chest. She could feel his determination pushing him as far as to take himself too seriously, how he felt miserable over the release of the demon and how he wasn't strong enough to hold him in place. She was reminded of the time he ran into her before the Chunnin exams three years ago and he was feeling down before his big fight against Neji. He turned around and inhaled sharply again. He stretched his arm forward and began gathering his focus.

"Naruto, in your current condition, you won't be able to do it." She shouted as energy started to cover his arm. He turned to see her as the power vanished. He was surprised to see such a comment coming from Hinata.

"Are you doubting me?"

Hinata felt like she had embarrassed herself again. She curved her head downwards and once again played with her fingers.

"I, uh…that's not what I meant. You see, there's an irregularity with your chakra network when you gather power for the Rasengan that doesn't allow you to do it."

Confusion and frustration covered Naruto's face.

"How do you know that? Did Grandma Tsunade tell you about it?!"

Hinata gave her back to Naruto as she only started to feel worse about herself.

"I was…I was kinda looking at you with my Byakugan back there."

Again Naruto's face was puzzled.

"Why?"

"B-Because…I-I wanted to see if I could help you somehow. You see, I can help you regulate your chakra networks to make it easier for you to gather power using my G-"

Naruto let out a sigh.

"Hinata, I know you just want to help, but right now I can't have the luxury of you and the other guys worrying about me and being scared of me. Please try to understand."

The girl felt like she was stuck in a corner. If she didn't say something, she would have no choice but to leave. She had to say something that could get her to help him, just like she did three years ago before the Chuunin exams. She had already promised to herself that she will be committed to get more related with her crush. She gathered her bravery and took a deep breath.

"Naruto, please understand that what is going on with you right now doesn't allow your body to work properly." She said as she took a step forward. "When I checked your chakra network, your chakra was constantly in conflict with that of the demon which didn't allow you to make the best of your own power. The only way to restore this is by fixing certain areas of your chakra network."

Naruto was impressed by the assertiveness that Hinata was showing. It was something so unlike her, like what happened before his fight with Neji three years ago. Once again, Hinata's words had completely rearranged his thoughts.

"You mean you want to fix my chakra network?"

Hinata's bravery was all drained out as she processed that sentence. She couldn't help but to turn bright red at the thought of touching her beloved crush around his body.

"Y-Yeah, that's what I w-want to do."

Her voice was shaky.

"Are you sure this will help me with my training?"

"I'm really positive."

"All right, then. Do what you need to do." He extended his arms to his sides.

A mixed bag of thoughts was building up inside Hinata's mind. First off, Naruto seemed to be lacking his common enthusiasm and secondly, she knew she was about to come in contact with him. Only this time, nothing will be accidental. She slowly approached Naruto without making eye contact.

"Do I need to do anything?" asked Naruto.

"No, it's OK. You don't have to. Just start gathering chakra as if you're about to form the Rasengan. I need you to keep it up until I finish. You should be able to make a full Rasengan by the time I'm done."

Naruto nodded and obliged. Once again, the strain from before made him grunt in pain and sweat started rolling down his face. Hinata formed a hand sign in front of her. The veins around her eyes became visible as they increase in thickness, showing the power of her Kekkei Genkai. Naruto's chakra looked like blue and red colored snakes fighting for supremacy. She could see the red overpowering the blue. Using her Gentle Fist, she poked at chakra points across his chest, arms, neck, and back. She tried to stay as focused as possible, taking in mind that this was important to Naruto. She tried to forget that she was feeling his hard biceps and his chest. Obviously, this was a lot easier for her in theory. The spiky haired ninja started grunting more intensely as the strain seemed to increase. The red chakra continued struggling to make its way towards the expanding spherical pool of chakra in Naruto's hand. Hinata found herself increasing her pace and precision to balance out both types of chakra. She had to make inexplicably fast paced combinations to keep up.

'This isn't going anywhere.' Hinata thought. 'I need to do something to end this.' Hinata drew both her arms back and rapidly hit a number of chakra points across Naruto's chest and stomach using concentrated chakra. The concentration of chakra on his hand stopped as he started gagging and collapsed to the ground screaming in pain and coughing up blood.

"Hinata! What the hell?!" He shouted

She screeched in horror as she started freaking out. "Naruto! I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean t- Please let me." She reached out and helped him rise to his knees. She helped him get his back to the tree as she positioned herself in front of him. She wiped the blood off his mouth. Deep down, she was full of embarrassment for hurting Naruto when she was supposed to help him. There was also a tender feeling that made her warm.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto. Please forgive me. That last hit was supposed to get to a chakra point in your heart, but I didn't expect this to happen. The whole purpose was to arrange your flow of chakra to make it easier for you to use it. Please, forgive me." She hanged her head in shame. Her voice was meek.

"Well, did you do it?" Naruto asked straining his voice.

"What?"

"Will that let me do the Rasengan normally?"

"Well, it's supposed to."

"Then that's fine." He tried to get up.

"Naruto, wait." She held him down by the shoulders. Even she was surprised by what she did. She felt like screaming on the inside. "There's a chance that your heart might have suffered a secondhand effect from that hit. Let me check on it." She made a hand sign and her eyes started blazing. She was observing Naruto's heart. Several veins had been burst and he was starting to have some minor hemorrhaging. But soon she had the feeling that someone was watching them from behind. She turned around quickly to find no one. She could have sworn that she had seen someone. Whoever it was, that person was gone.

"What is it?" asked Naruto.

"It's nothing. I just…" She stopped. She had turned back to Naruto to find the strangest thing she had ever seen. The spilled blood was drying up and the veins were reconnecting with one another. It was a disturbing, grotesque sight, perhaps the most bizarre thing she had ever seen.

"You know what, Hinata?" He started getting up again. "I think I'm fine now, so don't…what's wrong?" He looked at her, who seemed to be in a trance. "Hinata."

When she came back to her senses, she looked up to him. She quickly stood up.

"Alright, let's give this a shot." He cracked his knuckles and extended out his arm again. He prepared himself and started focusing energy, which erupted out of him rapidly. He stared in awe at the clear blue chakra spinning in his hand. It was biggest Rasengan he had ever made. Chakra was leaking out of the sides of his hand. He started laughing excitedly as he stared in awe. Hinata was standing by his side, watching the spectacle.

"Look at it!" Shouted Naruto excitedly. "Look at it!" He let out a big whoop. Hinata was filled with joy to see him happy again. Soon, he started to decrease the power on his hand until the orb was nothing more.

"I can't wait to try that out on somebody! Hinata, you rock!" The Kunoichi was blushing like she had never blushed before. That was the best compliment she had ever received from him. She felt like she was falling back and her sight was getting dim.

"Uh, Hinata?" Naruto looked confused. As he saw that Hinata was about to collapse, he rapidly sprang behind her and made a last minute save before she touched the ground. She opened her eyes when she didn't feel the grass around her head. She looked up to find out that she was in the arms of her beloved.

"Are you OK?"

She gasped and quickly got up. She gave her back to him and brought her finger to her lips. She was so excited that she was being held by him but still couldn't let her see her face looking like a big red dot.

"I'm… fine."

"Are you sure? You almost fainted. Don't you think you should go see a doctor?"

"No, don't worry about it. I'll be fine." She was still afraid to show her face to Naruto. She felt a hand on her shoulder pulling her towards him. She was turned around to face him. He placed his hand on her forehead.

'Whatever you do, stay calm.' She thought. It just wasn't possible. The glow on her cheeks was just getting brighter.

"Well, you look red," he took his hand off her. "and you're a bit warm, but I don't think you have a fever."

"I-I'm sure it's just the heat."

"What heat? It's like 70 degrees."

"Ohhh, I…" She froze. Her mind was a blank. If she didn't say something, she would look like an idiot again.

"You see, Naruto I…am…I…"

Naruto adopted a face of confusion once again.

"I think I'm just a little thirsty." She let out.

"You think?" He looked even more puzzled.

"Yes. That is why I almost fainted. I think I need some water." She approached the lake and put her hands together to have a sip.

'OK…' Naruto thought. 'I guess this could explain a lot. But, maybe it's just me.'

"Well, why couldn't you just take your jacket off or something?"

Hinata gasped and her face went fiery again.

"OK, that didn't come out right." He corrected himself. "What I meant is that if the heat makes you uncomfortable, maybe you should lose the jacket."

Uncertainness and embarrassment were all that were passing through Hinata's brain.

"Oh, you don't worry about it, Naruto. I'll be fine. Really."

"If you say so." He shrugged. "Anyway, think you can teach me anything else?"

That was almost too good for Hinata to believe.

"Well, since what you just did works really well for my chakra control…what do you say?"

"O-Oh, sure. Of course, Naruto." She was still feeling the effects of the surprise.

'Wait, what am I supposed to teach him?' She went completely white. 'Oh, no.'

"Are you OK, Hinata?" Naruto asked. "You went…paler than usual just now."

She snapped back.

"I-I'm fine, thank you."

'OK, OK' she thought, 'He's not from the Hyuga clan, so he doesn't know the kind of training you do to control chakra. Just think of something.'

"Well Naruto, this next technique will also help you control your chakra. Now, you're not from the Hyuga clan, but I'm sure you can still learn it." She stood up and backed away from him until she was standing at the edge of the lake.

"You mean it's an exclusive move to the Hyuga clan?"

"Yes."

"Sweet! Alright, show me!" He shouted excitedly and moved closer to where she was standing. She was happy to see him like that, but still a little nervous.

"OK, you may recognize what I'm about to do. Do you remember when we went to look for the Bikochuu beetle with Kiba, Shino and Akamaru?"

"Oh, yeah." He got depressed all of a sudden. He remembered how he ruined what was back then his last chance to bring back Sasuke.

"I'm sorry."

'Why do I keep doing stuff to embarrass myself? I'm not going to accomplish anything like this!' She thought frustrated.

"Don't worry about it. Just continue."

"OK, as I was saying, when you and the boys were held captive by the Kamizuri clan, I used my new technique called the Protective Eight Triagrams Sixty-Four Palms. What I'm going to show you is a slightly similar version, only much slower so you can see what I'm doing."

"But, what I'm I supposed to accomplish with this?"

"Much like with the Gentle Fist, the Hyugas attack by releasing streams of chakra through any part of our body. When I attacked those beetles, large streams of chakra were fired from my fingertips to kill them. Now, watch."

Hinata closed her eyes and made her hand sign. She stood there gathering her energy, picturing the Protective Eight Triagrams around her. Naruto stared at her in wonder, eager to learn something new. The girl's eyes flew open and the veins around her eyes started swelling. She revolved towards the lake and with a quick extension of her arm, a thin strip of chakra speedily flew out. The wind started twisting wildly across its path, picking up droplets of water from the lake and swirling them in midair. Hinata quickly spun with a twist of her heels towards her left. Another stream of chakra flew out towards the surrounding forest. Small water drops were collecting in the air again. She kept repeating this until it seemed like an almost invisible dome of chakra was surrounding her. Naruto looked in awe at the spectacle.

'Wow, that's so cool.' He thought. He observed all of her movements. The speed of her arms, the movement of her feet, how she turned and precisely executed her objective. There was something about it that looked so hypnotizing, almost familiar.

Naruto's jaw slowly dropped open. The sun was beginning to set and the orange light was hitting her. The airborne water glittered vibrantly. The rapid movements, the swirling water in the air, the beauty of that scene, it was as if he had seen it before a long time ago. He couldn't precisely put his finger on it, but he was sure this wasn't the first time he had seen something like this.

When Hinata stopped, she realized Naruto's stare. He was simply amazed and speechless. She turned a hot scarlet when his eyes met hers. She turned away.

"Wha-" He sounded like he was in a daze. "Oh, sorry. It's just that you were-um…that was just kickass."

"Y-You think so?" She now turned, but she was still blushing.

"Yeah, totally. I've never seen something like that. Did you come up with it on your own?"

"Well, yes." She said with a miniscule tone of pride.

"That's awesome. Now, let me try." He got up and began positioning himself.

"Wait, Naruto. I know you want to learn, but you need to take it slow. You don't possess the Byakugan, so we may have to find a different way for you to do it."

"Like what?"

"Well, honestly I have no idea." She didn't feel so helpful anymore.

Neither of them were noticing that they were being watched from the other side of the lake. Three girls were all bundled up, trying to look at them from a space through the leaves.

"See? What did I tell ya?" Ino bragged. "She made the first move all on her own."

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it." Said TenTen. "Guess we won't have to do anything ourselves now."

"I guess you're right. It's kind of a bummer, you know?"

"What do you mean "bummer"?"

"I mean I would've never expected her to make a move like that."

"Yeah, I was really looking forward to have to help her. It would've been fun, right?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with you? Why are you so quiet?" She turned to Sakura. She was indescribably shocked. Her eyes were trembling and looked like they were about to leave her head. She watched them talk, how Naruto reacted towards what Hinata did. She was almost afraid.  
"Hey, wake up!" Sakura snapped back. "What's with you?" Ino asked

"What are you talking about?" She asked faking her obvious surprise.

"You were looking out there like Naruto had transformed again."

"Ino!" TenTen said with distaste.

"What? Too soon?"

"Look, it's nothing. I was just a little surprised."

'Little?' Ino thought.

"So, what do you think I should do?" Naruto asked Hinata.

"Well, try expelling some chakra from your hand. We'll see what happens." Hinata said. She felt glad she was starting to be more useful.

"Like this?" He rapidly gathered energy in his hand and tried to mimic Hinata's movements. The energy violently exploded from him and blew up in his face. He was tossed back and fell backwards. Hinata quickly reacted and grabbed him by the shoulders before hitting the floor.

"Naruto, are you OK?" She asked. Her face went colorful again, but she was amazed at herself for being brave enough to hold him like that.

"Yeah, thanks." He was helped up back to his feet. "What happened? I did it just the way you did and it blew up in my face!"

"Well, your style is very different from that of the Hyuga clan so maybe you shouldn't try to copy what I do."

"Then what?"

Hinata went pensive for a moment.

"It would be a good idea to start on practicing the direction of your chakra flow. That way, it will flow in a straight line and not expand wildly out of control. You can even use it to reach for something and grab it, but for now we should concentrate on just making your chakra flow properly."

"You mean straight in one direction?"

"Yes."

"But what can I use as a target?"

Hinata looked around for possible options. Nothing looked right.

"Hey, how about this?" He got an idea. He knelt down and took off his sandals. He grabbed one of them and leaped to the edge of the tree branch, placing it there. Hinata giggled quietly.

"I first thought to use my headband but I thought that would be offensive." Naruto said, scratching the back of his head when he returned to the ground. The Kunoichi giggled again.

"OK, let's see…" he prepared himself once again, just like he did before.

"Focus on one particular spot, then concentrate your chakra's path on it." Hinata said. He nodded and returned to the sandal on the tree. His hand turned blue started erupting chakra. His stare turned fierce and concentrated. Hinata stood to his left admiring his dedication to the task. Naruto drew back and quickly thrust his hand forward. The chakra intensified and poured out strongly. Grunts of struggling were let out as he tried to turn it into a straight path. Hinata did not move. She was still there, motionless, watching him work himself out. A small line of Chakra started coming out from the center of his hand. It tiredly grew longer until it stopped when it reached five inches in length. His struggling was more intense and his face was dipped with sweat drops. No progress was made in what seemed to be ten minutes. Hinata grew worried for him, she felt her powerful heartbeat at her chest. In an instant, the small string of chakra shrank back into his hand and an explosion of blue knocked Naruto back, making him land on his bottom.

The sun had painted the sky with red and yellow as it disappeared behind the mountains faraway. The only sound now was his labored breathing as he got up with a moan. Hinata tried to help him up, but he signaled her with his hand telling her he could do it himself. He cracked his neck and got set again. He repeated the same procedure as before, now he was able to sustain it for eleven minutes before it exploded on his face again. He got back to his feet again and continued working on his new technique. Trial and error continued as he kept throwing himself to the ground. Hinata knew through what she was seeing that if she tried to interrupt him and told him what to do, she would offend his pride as a ninja. Now matter how much she wanted, she knew she couldn't help. She had to restrain herself for his own sake.

White sparks started dotting the sky as the sun started vanishing. She hadn't realized how much time they had spent together. Naruto didn't seem to be making any noticeable improvements, which is why he persistently got up despite the fact that his eyes were exhausted and his entire arm trembled as he held it in the air.

"Naruto," she spoke, "don't you think you should take a break? You've been at this all afternoon."

He turned to her, panting. He was lacking any expression.

"D-don't worry about i-it." He was gasping for his breath. "I've been through tougher stuff."

"But Naruto, this is a technique that normally needs the Byakugan to work. I know you want to learn it, but you shouldn't push yourself too hard or who knows what might happen?" She tried to make it sound like a complaint the least as possible. He meanwhile looked up for a moment to his sandal, still in the exact spot where he left it.

"What'd you think I should do?"

"Well, looks like you could use some wa-"

"I meant to move that." He pointed to the end of the tree branch. Hinata was perplexed. She couldn't let out another opportunity to continue advising Naruto and showing him her worth.

"Let's see… tell me what you do when you gather chakra."

"Well, I just gather as much as possible and then I try to shoot it out in a straight line. It's kind of like doing the Rasengan, only the chakra is extended and held back with more pressure, which is why it keeps going off in my face."

"The beam of chakra you fire doesn't have to be so pressured with chakra. You only need to let out a continuous stream of it in one direction. Think of it as extending your body to reach for something you normally couldn't." She explained while making the appropriate gestures with her hands.

"You make it sound so easy." Said a deadpan Naruto. "At least it should be worth giving it a shot."

He took his stance again and repeated the process. Instead of gathering massive amounts of chakra, he only focused on a small point in his hand. He visualized the point on his mind and gathered his strength in it. When he felt his focus was ready, he released a thin thread of chakra from his palm. The string extended until it was halfway from the tree. There, it stopped. He pressed down on the ground and tried to expand it, but it was useless. Almost as soon as he had begun, he collapsed to his knees and his energy was gone. His friend rushed to his side.

"Are you OK?"

"I-I don't understand…why I can't do this." He fought to catch his breath. He sounded deadly tired and annoyed.

"Don't blame yourself, Naruto. It's not as simple as it looks. Did you know it took me months to learn the entire Protective Eight Triagrams Sixty Four Palms? Besides, I bet it's just because you are tired." She said reassuringly.

"But, I…what I don't get…" his voice was raspy and his breathing felt like it was being cut off multiple times. "…is why I'm I like this when the seal is weakening. I thought Kyuubi would make me more resistant even…if I didn't call on its power. I know I don't want to use it, but why does it feel like its not reacting?"

Hinata tried to think of something convincing to make him feel better.

"Well, obviously this type of training is done by the Hyuga clan, so maybe neither you nor Kyuubi are adjusted to training like that. You just have to find a way that fits your style and will help you control your chakra release."

Naruto had never heard Hinata talk like that. She sounded really secure of herself, or at least more than her usual self. She trusted that he could do it, and even though that was something he would have expected from her, he could still feel surprise. For a moment, Hinata's eyes had met his. None of them were moving or said anything. The intense, harsh look in Naruto's eyes had turned into a more peaceful stare. Hinata was frozen as she looked upon his blue orbs while he continued thinking that the Hinata he was looking at wasn't entirely the one he thought it was.

Hinata broke away when she returned to senses. Naruto realized why.

"S-sorry, I'm just a little…it's been a tough day, and well you know…"

"I understand." She said with her back still to him. "N-Naruto, I hope you don't mind, but I better be going home now. My father must be worried." They both got up.

"Sure, it's cool. I was just planning on going home myself." He said smiling tiredly. There was an awkward silence that followed as they were both standing in front of one another. He was putting his sandals back on and she was playing with a curl of her hair.

"Well…good night, Naruto." She said and turned around.

"Wait, Hinata!" He shouted out. She turned back to him. "Is something wrong?"

"Uhh…" his mind had instantly gone blank. He didn't have the word to explain himself. "…you know…these streets get dangerous at night. Do you mind if I uh…walk you…home?"

Hinata's heart felt like it had somersaulted. Her face was all bright pink. Those words came out so unexpectedly she couldn't help it.

"Look, I don't have to if you're not good with it. I was just, um…you know…trying to be…well, nice and all, but if it's gonna make you uncomfortable then-" He had trouble finishing his sentences. He felt like he was tripping on his tongue.

'Pull yourself together! This is a great chance!' Hinata was telling herself mentally.

"O-Oh, sure. Of course I can walk home w-ith…you." She was now involuntarily playing with her index fingers. They looked at each other again. He grinned dumbly.

"Alright then, let's go." He walked to her side and they both started walking.

"Whoa, did Naruto just try to make a move on Hinata?" TenTen couldn't believe her eyes.

"I think he did." Ino answered. They both looked at each other and started squealing excitedly.

"This is too good to be true! Do you think he's…" Ino was too excited to finish.

"I don't know, but that was so cool!"

"Come on, let's go!" They both jumped with a mighty push and followed the couple from afar. They realized that they were missing somebody.

"Where's Sakura at?"

"I don't know. I thought she was right there just now."

"Do you think she's ahead of us?"

"I don't know. Well, anyway, let's hurry. They're getting away."

Naruto and Hinata were walking side by side, he with his arms thrown behind his head and she in her traditional nervous style. He constantly turned to look at her, but seemed to be keeping to herself, almost as if she was afraid to look at him, even if she didn't look terrified. His vision would often wonder around the surrounding buildings. It was dead silence and a number of streetlights were off. A voice inside his head was telling him to try to make conversation with her.

"So Hinata," he finally interrupted the silence. "It's uh…been a while since I've been around. Is there anything I should learn about? You know, anything interesting happen to somebody?"

She faced him, looking calmer.

"Well, you probably know already that TenTen is now working at Ino's store part-time."

"Yeah, I ran into her yesterday while they were closing up. I didn't see you there."

"Well, I'm not working at the shop."

"I know, what I meant is that I thought you'd be visiting the shop. You said you were going to see your mom."

"Oh, I was, but I must've been there after you left. Wait, that reminds me, last night you were saying something about me giving you a great idea or something and then you just left. What happened?"

"Oh, that. You see…you know what? You shouldn't worry about it."

"Was it something personal?" She assumed she understood his reasons.

"Well…yes and no."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it has something to do with me and some other people."

"But, what was that great idea that you said I gave you?"

He didn't answer right away. "You promise you won't tell anybody?"

"Sure." She tried to sound as reassuring as she could.

"You see, I don't know why, but I've never really thought a lot about what happened to my family. You know, how is it that I haven't met anybody else that has Uzumaki as a last name. It's been only recently that I have really been more interested on it. I've tried asking to Iruka and Kakashi-Sensei, but they don't seem to know anything. Anyway, the idea you gave me when you talked about your mother's grave is that maybe I could find my own parents' graves or any of my family member's. Unfortunately, there was no luck finding any."

Hinata felt sorry for Naruto all of a sudden. She also felt a little depressed for not being any real help to Naruto in the end on that issue.

"I also tried looking for the Pervy Sage. He usually goes out to do his "research", that's what he calls it…"

Hinata smiled warmly and let out a giggle. For a moment, Naruto took a puzzled look at her.

"Well, like I was saying, I couldn't find him either. So now, I have no idea who my parents are. They could've been simple merchants trying to have a good living or maybe they were talented ninja who died while fighting. They could've died the day of the Kyuubi's attack, for all I know. I don't suppose you know anything about it, don't you?"

"Sorry."

"Don't be." He said grinning. The shine of his smile made Hinata blush.

"So, is there anything else I should know about?"

"Well now that you mention it, I just heard some news today. I don't know if they're for real or just rumors, but Kurenai-Sensei and Asuma-Sensei are dating."

"Seriously?"

"That's what I've heard. Some people say that she might even be pregnant."

"No way!" He said laughing. She couldn't help but to join in. Hinata felt a little spark in her heart as they both expressed their happiness. Hinata was relieved to see that the Naruto he knew, so optimistic and cheerful, was the same one that was standing beside her.

"Oh yeah, I think some of your friends have returned too."

"What friends?"

"Sai and your former captain, Yamato."

"Oh yeah, those guys. I head they had gone to the Land of the Tides to investigate on a runaway from that area. I didn't know it was gonna take them months."

"Some missions sure are more challenging than others."

"I know, but still it was way too long. Should be nice to see them again."

They continued walking down the dark streets of Konoha until they arrived at a street corner in front of a large metal gate. Hinata stopped walking.

"N-Naruto…" She was back to her usual personality. He turned when he realized she wasn't following him anymore.

"If you don't mind…could you…is it OK…? I think I can go on my own from here."

"What? Why?" He asked, somewhat disappointed.

"Well…you see…I…don't…I really…"

"What is it?"

"I just…don't want my father to see us together."

"INO!" Both she and TenTen froze with fear when that familiar voice rang from behind them. "Where have you been? We've been looking for you all day." They both turned around to find Shikamaru's care-less face and Choji hidden behind a bag of chips.

"What are you doing anyway?"

"Keep your voice down!" Ino whispered loudly.

"What's going on?" He approached their hiding spot while Choji clumsily followed.

"No wait don't-" The girls tried to hold them away.

"What are you girls hiding?" He managed to poke around their heads to find Naruto about thirty feet away talking face to face with Hinata outside the gate to the Hyuga clan's district. He was looking a little disappointed and frustrated as she explained something unintelligible to him. Choji was stuffing his face while peeking through his bag.

"OK, now you have my attention." Shikamaru turned to see the girls. "What have you been up to?"

Ino and TenTen looked at each other. They both knew they already knew too much.

"Well…" TenTen was the one who answered. "…we were supposed to set them up but somehow things got started on their own somehow."

"Set them up? You mean like getting them hooked up?" Choji said with his mouth full of potato chips.

Both the girls nodded.

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Look Ino, Asuma-Sensei has reported that we have been appointed a new mission and we leave tomorrow at the crack of morning." Shikamaru sternly affirmed.

"OK, OK! I'll make sure I'm ready! Now could you just leave? We're in the middle of something."

"I'm not going anywhere. This I gotta see."

"Uh-huh." Choji said with his mouth full. They both turned their attention back to the ninjas at the gate. The girls gave each other a confused look.

"I'm really sorry Naruto, but I hope you understand. I really can't afford to get in trouble with my father."

"Don't worry. I'm used to this kind of crap. Don't pay much attention to it." Naruto said disappointedly. Hinata looked down looking depressed as well.

"Are all fathers like that?" She looked at him again. "You know, real hard-asses?"

Hinata's smile returned and turned into a small laugh.

"I don't think I can answer that. I mean, my father just does what he does because I'm his daughter and I'm meant to take his place when I'm older. When I was younger, he looked down on me for not being as strong as Neji or my sister, but I've been pushing myself constantly so he can see me as worthy of ruling the Hyuga clan. I can't afford to have any problems with my father…"

Her face started lighting up before she finished.

"…even if it means to sometimes keep my distance from you, to whom I owe a lot of m-"

"Wait did you say you're going to rule a whole clan?!" He took two steps forward when he left her coming undone. A diminutive squeal escaped her lips and her cheeks looked like they were burning up.

"That's awesome!"

"Well…yeah that's…that's awesome." She turned to the side, so Naruto wouldn't see her bashful face.

"Are you OK? You look like you're sick again." He reached for her forehead. Hinata realized and immediately jolted back.

"Really, I'm fine N-Naruto."

"Alright, you're the boss." He said doubtfully. What followed was an uncomfortable silence where both just looked at each other for a while. Naruto was thinking about what to do next, but the only thing going through his head was a bowl or hot, steamy ramen. He hadn't eaten anything since lunchtime. He tried to get the picture out of his mind, but it proved to be difficult.

"Well…good night, Naruto" Hinata finally spoke. With a smile, she headed for the gate and started to pull it open.

"Hinata, wait!" He shouted before she reached for the handle. She turned to him. When she did, it looked like Naruto wasn't thinking straight.

"Uhhhh…" The words were slipping out of his head. "…Thanks for everything. You know, the training and stuff." He was able to process his message on time. He scratched the back of his head.

"O-Oh, you're welcome." She answered back shyly. Any compliment from Naruto was enough for her to get nervous. "It was nothing. I-I just…thought you might like it."

"I did. Thanks again!" With that, Hinata smiled again and turned to the gate.

"Wait!" She turned again. Naruto felt that last "wait" slipped out on its own. He nervously sweat dropped.

"Uhhh… I was just…wondering if we could…you know, do this again sometime."

Hinata felt like her heart had gone to her stomach.

"You know, we could train and finish what we started today. And maybe I can show you some of my moves or something." He started to get anxious as he finished his sentence. Hinata's eyes had gone blank and she looked like a statue.

"So, is tomorrow OK with you?" He scratched the back of his head again.

The Kunoichi was back to herself again.

"Oh, Naruto…I…would love to but I…" She looked at him again. He was uneasily awaiting her answer. She could tell he had a good time and wanted a second time to do it.

"I have to…leave for a mission tomorrow." The blonde ninja felt like he had been knocked down like a tower of blocks. It hurt Hinata to disappoint him.

"But…I'll be back on Wednesday. We can train then" Naruto's hopes were raised.

"Really?"

"Sure."

"Alright!" He jumped for joy. Hinata timidly showed her amusement with a silent chuckle.

"OK, I'll see you down by the training ground by the lake. I'll be there around noon, OK?"

"Of course."

"Alright, see you then!" He waved goodbye and turned around. "Good night!"

"Good night, Naruto." She waved back. She had a lively look in her eye. They didn't stop until Naruto turned around the corner. When he was out of sight, he excitedly jumped and threw his arms in the air in various poses. All his sadness from before was gone. He stopped until an unfamiliar feeling started settling in.

'Wait, what am I doing?'

"Holy crap, did Naruto just ask her out?" Shikamaru asked with incredulous eyes.

"Well, it's not like it's an actual date. They're just going to train." Choji answered. He had finished his bag of chips.

"But just think about it. Him. Her. Alone." Ino said. Her eyes were glistening and she had her hands together at her chest. "Before we know it, one thing will lead to another."

"How can you be so sure? You know how clueless Naruto is."

"Well, he was the one who proposed a second time." TenTen pointed out. "He must've enjoyed it. If there's one thing that Naruto admires over anything else are skills as a ninja. If he continues to be impressed, he might start to like her."

"Look you guys," Ino got serious. "You were not supposed to know about what we were doing. What happened in here, stays in here OK?"

"Don't you think everyone else will start noticing soon enough?" Shikamaru affronted the question.

"The point is that no one should know we're spying on them OK?"

"OK, fine. Don't lose your head."

"By the way, didn't you guys see Sakura on your way here?" TenTen asked.

"What about her?"

"She was with us, but she was gone before we realized it."

"No, sorry."

With that, everyone said their goodbyes and were on their way home.

Sakura was lying on her bed, hands crossed over her belly. The moonlight was reflected on a mirror by her wall. She had taken off her headband and her sandals. A small tear descended from her left eye and disappeared on her pillow. Her heart felt heavy and she felt a knot in her throat. She turned herself until she was facing the wall next to her bed and she was resting on her shoulder. She grasped her bed covers tightly. There was no noise outside. The silence of her room was almost foreboding the realization of her thoughts. What she had seen today was playing on her memory like a needle skipping on a record. They both looked happy, they were having the time of their lives, even if Naruto was struggling with training. She had never felt as alone as she was right now.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

With a pained groan, Orochimaru tried to get up, but he felt like his body wasn't responding. He couldn't feel his arms or legs. He tried to open his eyes, but they felt too heavy. His mouth tasted like blood.

"Lord Orochimaru, please don't try to move." He could barely hear a familiar voice.

"K-Kabuto…" His voice was raspy and thirsty.

"Your body has taken serious damage. I've been able to stop the internal bleeding for now, but it should take a few days for you to recover at your fullest."

"W-What happened to me?" Orochimaru asked with a weak voice. "The last thing I remember was…where is…?"

"He's gone."

He groaned in pain again.

"It's unbelievable how was he able to do that. He drained you chakra supply until there was barely any left and he absorbed half your body tissues, along with your recovering abilities. With that power, he could be the most powerful ninja in existence. But don't worry my lord; I have taken a sample of your body cells and your blood to reconstruct your DNA. You will have your immortality back, along with a new body. Unfortunately, I can't tell how long it will take."

"K-Kabuto…"

"Please, you're too weak in your current state. Wait until your wounds are better."

Kabuto walked to a desk by Orochimaru's bed. He took a small flask with blood inside and showed it to his master.

"But your new body isn't the best part. I was able to take a sample of his blood before he escaped. If I add this to your new body during its development state at just the right time, you will have the same properties as him and you'll be able to find him and make him pay for what he did to you."

Orochimaru looked like he had fallen asleep, but a crooked smile was slowly and weakly drawn on his face.

"G-Good work, Kabuto. Thank...you."

"It was no problem my lord, but there is a favor I want to ask. I've thought about the danger that could follow and I don't think I would be of much utility seeing that I'm no match to his power or your own. So I ask of you to please allow me to carry his blood in my veins as well. I will remain loyal to you and use my power for anything you desire."

He knelt down and hung his head waiting for an answer. Orochimaru gently tried to lift his arm and carried it towards Kabuto. He placed his palm over his head and rested it there.

"Thank you, my lord."

…………………………………………………………………………………

The thick trees prevented any light from entering the forest. Nothing could be told apart from anything else. In the middle of the pitch blackness, the figure of a young man was swiftly leaping from one branch to another. He was carrying a long sword behind him. His eyes glowed red. Seeing what was in front of him was no problem at all. Soon, the thickness of trees started to decrease. The young man's eyes soon ceased their glowing. The light of the moon shined on his colorless skin. His pupils had a peculiar shape. They were long and stretched out from top to bottom, like a snake; the kind of eyes that struck men with fear and despair. Around his waist, a purple rope was tied over his white robe, which was open in the middle, revealing his well sculpted body. His hair was as dark as the night surrounding him. His thousand yard stare was sinister and yet it was still expressionless. He could see the forest ending in front of him. An open field lay in front of him, revealing huge plains that stretched out as far as the eyes could see. When he touched ground, Sasuke made a strong jump from a tree branch and ran across the long grass.


	7. Chapter 7: Just Feel Better

OK, this story is shaping up nicely so far. I have to admit I've been having more fun recently now that we're getting to some good bits of the story. I hope you like them as much as I did. NaruHina forever!!

Oh, yeah. There's a concept in the story that I've been thinking about adding to it for a while and I'm still trying to make up my mind about it. I'm sure it could add to the emotion of the story, but the question is how. Anyway that idea is that someone…needs…to...die.

And by the way, sorry for the big delay. I'm finishing this school year and it's been a bitch. A bitch that hopped on her menstrual cycle and ran my ass over.

Hope you all had a fantastic 420, man!

**CH.7: ****JUST FEEL BETTER**

Naruto was tossing and turning in bed. An uncomfortable feeling made him switch his position constantly. He checked the clock by his bed. It read 1:26 A.M.. Through the curtains on his window, he could see the crescent moon light up the starry sky. An orange glow came from the lampposts on the streets below. He gave his back to the window once more and shut his eyes. For some reason, he couldn't fall asleep. After a hard day's training, he thought he wouldn't have trouble. His mind was heavy with thoughts of recent memory. He couldn't focus on his intent to catch some sleep. With both hands, he wrapped his pillow around his head.

"Come on, what's wrong with you?" He said muffled by the pillow and grinding his teeth. He loosened his grip when he started smothering himself too hard. He got up from bed and walked to the bathroom for a drink of water. He noisily gulped it down and went back to his room. He walked from on end to another, thinking about what was causing his insomniac anxiety. He shook his head, tying to cut loose from the tension inside it. He cracked his neck with both hands, thinking it would reduce the stress building in the back of his neck.

"What's the matter with me?" He said to himself aloud. After growing tired of pointless waste of energy, he sat at the edge of his bed, resting his head on his hands. It had been a long time since a feeling similar to this one had kept him up all night. This time, it was a feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

'Hmmm,' he thought, 'I really haven't tried that meditation Grandma Tsunade recommended. Guess it's worth giving it a shot.'

He sat right in the middle of his bed and assumed a traditional meditating position; his arms stretched outward lying on his knees and his forelegs crossed. He took deep breaths and closed his eyes.

'OK, just relax.' He thought to himself, 'Everything is fine. Don't let anything trouble you. Don't think about anything. It's just you. It's all in your head. Just let it all go away. Let it all go away.'

Naruto's eyes started getting heavy.

'You're wind based-chakra. Let it all go away like a breeze. All your problems gone with the wind.'

His tension felt like it was going away. His method was working. He felt more relaxed by the second. Soon, he felt like his body was getting heavy. He felt like he wasn't in his room anymore. He was now traveling to a much different place. He felt like was falling backwards and landed on his head. He felt something tickling his left ear. It was moving with the wind. The sound of running water was heard from a distance not far away. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring at the sky. The moon was now full and blue and there were more stars than ever. He turned to his side to face grass. His sight was dimmed by the darkness of the surrounding trees. He was in the middle of the forest. He got up to his feet and took a look around. He felt disoriented and didn't know where to go.

"Where am I?" He said out loud. His voice sounded more high-pitched than he remembered. He covered his mouth, scared.

"Is that my voice?" He said out loud again. His eyes opened wide in surprise when he looked at his arms. He was wearing a jacket with orange sleeves. He looked down to himself to find he was wearing his old jumpsuit. He touched his forehead. He was wearing his old headband.

"What the hell is going on?!" He shouted.

The sound of rushing water in the distance increased in intensity. He heard a large splash. The wind was rushing towards him, blowing his blonde hair. As his only lead, he followed the sound. The trees made it hard to see his surroundings. As he kept pushing forward, a light appeared through a crack among the tree trunks. He followed that light as fast as his feet could let him run. The shining was becoming brighter the closer he got to it. He could see powerful currents of air coming from up ahead. The air was moist and drops of water were landing on his face. Just as he was about to creep up on what was ahead, he tripped on a stone and landed face first on the dirt with a thud. He groaned in pain and disgust as he wiped the grass, mud, and pebbles from his mouth. He felt flabbergasted for a while to find little stones where he was standing, almost as if the forest had suddenly disappeared. He heard another strong splash up ahead. He looked up from where he was to find a small waterfall cascading over some small rock formations on a tiny lake. He could see a small silhouette of a woman moving her arms elegantly on all directions, picking up drops of water and creating a small dome around her. It was a stunningly beautiful scene for Naruto.

'It's her again.' He thought as he got back on his feet, recalling his mission with Team 8 to find the Bikochuu beetle. He felt his arms going numb and his knees were weakening, making him to slightly tilt himself from side to side. With caution, he approached the lake with his eyes fixed on the mysterious girl. He felt nervous and warm inside. His heart was palpitating rapidly and his breathing got labored. He was about to take a step into the rocks surrounding the lake, but he remembered what happened last time. He looked down before he took the step and watched where his foot landed so he didn't slip. He silently placed it on the surface of the water by concentrating chakra into it. He looked at his own reflection in the lake. He was back to his twelve year old self. He gulped one more time as the nervous emotion in his chest was growing bigger. He turned his attention again to the spectacle before him.

The girl was truly gorgeous. The water in the air was reflecting the moonlight, creating an otherworldly effect that was truly astounding to observe. Naruto continued approaching her, but stopped dead in his tracks. The closer he got, the more apparent it became that the girl was naked. He felt his cheeks getting hot and felt an uneasy feeling inside his stomach. His heart was accelerating. His conscience was telling him to walk away, but there was something about her that made it impossible for him too react normally, almost as if he felt hypnotized. She still wasn't aware of his presence. Naruto found himself coming closer than ever to her until he was only several feet away from her. She carried on without noticing that she was being watched.

When she stopped, the watery atmosphere surrounding her had vanished. The girl had her back side to Naruto. When she turned around to face him, his jaw dropped. Despite the light of the moon, it was still too dark to see her fully, but he could tell she was completely undressed. She had a nice, curved figure, ending with a slim pair of legs. Her chest was voluptuous but not too large. She had short, black indigo hair, ending with a point on the back of her head. Her eyes were milky, pearly lavender. They were glistening intensely under the blue moon and staring right at him. Naruto recognized those eyes. Time seemed to have stopped for both as they stared silently at each other. He extended her arm towards her and took a step forward. The girl nervously brought her hands to her chest and ran away.

"Wait, I'm sorry!" He called out to her, but the girl was already lost among the trees. Naruto gave chase to her, leaped out of the water and entered the forest. The deeper he got into it, the less visibility he had. He could still hear her jumping from tree to tree up ahead and she didn't seem to be having much trouble at all. He tried to move faster, but it felt like it was in vain. The girl was increasing her speed as well.

"WAIT!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. He focused his strength into the next jump to try to catch her only to crash into a tree trunk with his face slammed deep into it.

Naruto felt the impact and opened his eyes. He was now facing the hard wood floor of his apartment. He moaned in pain and rubbed his forehead and shook his head to clear his eyes. He looked up to his bed. The covers were scattered all over it and were lying on the other side. He weakly got up and gaped blankly into the dimness of his room. His eyes flew open and he jolted his head with his hands.

"That girl was naked?!" He gasped. "That girl was Hinata?!" He gasped again. He slammed his hand on his forehead. "Damn it, I'm such an idiot! This is why she's always acting so embarrassed and timid when I'm around. She thinks I'm a pervert! Wait, she's been like this since I've known her." He started walking pensively from one corner of his room to another. "There must be another reason why she's always like this. Maybe that's just the way she is. But then again, why is it with only me?" His expression turned depressed. "Maybe she's been aware about Kyuubi all along and she's afraid of me. No wait, then everybody else in my age class would now. Maybe not from her, but somehow." He slammed his head again. "Uhh, why did I have to say that out loud?! "There was a beautiful girl in the waterfall last night. I called her out but she was gone." She was right there! Well, it couldn't have been worse after that time before the chunin exams when I told her what I think about her: "I've always thought you were gloomy, timid, and completely weird." Real smooth, Naruto. The girl must hate you now!"

He stopped walking.

"But why would she admire me so much? I mean, even if I said that, do I still make up for it with my ninja abilities? I mean, I know I used to be very clumsy, but she didn't seem to take it so badly. Like that time when we were looking for the beetle and I dropped Sasuke's headband, I almost farted in her face and she didn't hold a grudge afterward. Sakura wasn't even there and she beat me up for it. Maybe she's just a very nice person. And well, I did say I like people like her before my fight with Neji, so maybe she interpreted that back then as an immediate "I'm sorry" after the comment about her being gloomy and timid. But still, why would she blush like that when I'm around her? Why didn't she say anything when I said what happened that night at the waterfall? I guess that she would've said that was her and punched me or gone "Gentle Fist" on my ass or something. But then again, it's Hinata. She's never been known to get angry against anybody. Hell, even the grudge between her and Neji's side of the family died down. But still, I have to admit that I took things a little too far so I guess she would've at least said something. But why didn't she? Now that I think about it, she's never even raised her voice to me or made a fuss about something I did. Maybe it's just part of her personality to be that way." He sat at the edge of his bed and sighed deeply.

"Why am I repeating myself? Why am I making such a big deal out of this? That was a long time ago. Maybe she's forgotten all about it by now. But that still raises the question of why she's like that."

He shook his head again.

"Come on, Naruto. It's Hinata. She's your friend. She's been cool with whatever you have done so far. I mean, sure you haven't exactly treated her like you have tried to treat Sakura but…"

He was completely shocked. Through his mind, memories from his days back when all his friends were all Genin were flashing through his mind. He remembered Hinata back in the Chunnin exams when she gave him a jar with healing ointment, how he cheered her on to fight Neji, how he was amazed by her commitment to win. He remembered what she told him before his fight with Neji, how he was feeling really down and she picked up his spirits. He remembered when they set off to find the Bikochuu beetle and how she fought tooth and nail to save him and the rest of her team. Shino's words came to mind, too. He remembered he said she came up with that new technique all on her own to impress him, but he also remembered how he embarrasingly ruined the entire mission for them, how they had a picnic before setting off to find a bounty hunter and she made him some rice balls that resembled him. At first, he had criticized her for it, but after a taste, Naruto suggested she would be a great wife. Memories of Sakura came to him as well. Most of them were about her getting angry with him and punching him right in the face, like when he came back to the village after training with Jiraiya or after he had fainted from using Kyuubi's chakra. He saw how he strived to impress her time after time but she still had her interest set on Sasuke, such as when he was restored by Tsunade. He also saw how he wasn't respecting or acknowledging Hinata the same way she did to him. A knot of guilt was forming in his throat. He looked around for a moment. He got onto the bed and lay there staring at the ceiling with his arms crossed behind his head.

"What am I going to do?" He thought to himself. He felt confused, without a clue on what was the right thing to do. Inside his mind, he heard a low purring. It was calm and at peace.

'Kyuubi, is that you?' Naruto quickly thought. No answer. 'Kyuubi?' He called once more. The demon was silent. He was vigilant for any reaction from the demon, but before he knew it, his eyes were slowly shut and he fell asleep.

His eyes felt hazy when he woke up the next morning. He rubbed them with his forearm to get a better view. The first thought was his bizarre dream. He felt dazed and a funny feeling in his stomach when he pictured Hinata fully undressed in front of him. He still felt like he should do something about his behavior, since she was probably aware of what had happened, even if it was a long time ago. He knew she was more forgiving than anyone he had ever met, but he still believed that one wrong move could change anything. Just then, someone was knocking at the door. He got up and slowly opened it. He was greeted by the face of a pig, who let out an "oink". Naruto mumbled doubtfully.

"Naruto, were you still asleep?" It was the voice of a young woman. He tilted his head upwards to see who it was.

"Sorry." It was Shizune. "Did I wake you up?"

Naruto shook his head negatively. "Is something wrong?"

"I've brought you your mission assignment. Lady Tsunade picked it out for you."

"Why didn't she call me to her office?"

"She's having a meeting with the eld-"

"On second thought, I don't even want to know."

Shizune let out a sigh of worry.

"Could you excuse me for a sec?" He closed the door. He came out a few minutes later, fully dressed in his usual wear. "I know this sounds crazy coming from me, but I'm really not looking forward to receiving a mission assignment."

"I'm sorry, but we have decided that we should at least have some missions around here in the village." She handed a scroll to Naruto. He hesitatingly opened it and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath from his nose and popped one eye open and felt like someone kicked his heart when at the very top he saw a big "D". Ton-Ton oinked sadly. Shizune patted Naruto's shoulder.

"Don't worry. We're trying to solve this as soon as possible. You'll be OK."

"How can you be so sure?" said Naruto surly. Without a word, he left. Shizune gazed at him while he descended the stairs. She sighed again and left as well.

Naruto read the directions on the scroll, which lead him to the suburbs on the west side of the village. He arrived to a middle-class house with a small garden in the front yard. When he knocked on the front door, he was received by a small boy, about nine years old. He gave him a menacing look.

"Hi, I'm here for-" The boy stomped Naruto's foot before he could explain himself. He groaned with strain and bounced on one foot while rubbing the other. An old lady came to the door to see what the commotion was. The second he saw the scars across the ninja's face, she turned angry as well. Naruto nervously chuckled while still rubbing his foot. The woman turned around and was gone for a few seconds. When she came back, she angrily handed him a retractable leash. At the end of it was a tiny, shaggy-looking dog with brown and white fur. When he took it in his hand, the dog whined and backed up into the house. The boy patted its back reassuringly to make him feel better. The dog still uneasily left the house with Naruto.

"This is going to be a long day." He said out loud when he was gone.

Naruto felt embarrassed of himself when he walked along the streets of Konoha as people jeered at him and made fun of him. They pointed at him while they mocked him. They felt satisfied that they were seeing the bearer of the greatest threat to the village was now subjugated to minor tasks such as that. He took their insults and tried to shake them off. He pretended he wasn't listening and wished he wasn't really there. He closed his eyes for a short moment and imagined he was back at the training grounds, honing his skills. Hinata was there, and they were working together. They were practicing combat, but they didn't look stressed. They were actually laughing and having great fun. It was a perfect choreography of moves, almost as if it was staged. They would block and counter successfully, all without misjudging a single move of each other. Every punch, kick, and jab they swung, it was affronted with a move of equally powerful proportions. Naruto smiled warmly at these thoughts. He felt that his heart was thumping unusually strong. A strong sense of warmth inside of him and an unusually strong heartbeat mad him open his eyes. He was once again back in reality.

The dog was panting easily as he skipped across the street.

"You know," said Naruto to the dog aloud when nobody was watching him. "right now I could be out kicking some ass and taking names with my friends in an unknown country. I could be training out in the fields. But no, I'm stuck in here, walking you around like a rookie ninja because Grandma Tsunade and Pervy Sage think it's so dangerous." He finished this sentence in a mocking tone, faking fear. "But I'm not mad. Nuh-uh. It's cool. I got no beef with you. Why should I? You're just a dog. You probably don't give a shit about what I'm saying, do you?" The dog quickly steered to the left as the rope from the leash extended as well.

"Hey, where're you going?" He pushed the button on the retractor and pulled the dog back to him.

"You can't be running like crazy or I'll get in trouble, you got that? Although I can't sink any lower."

The dog pulled himself next to a corner and raised a leg.

"OK, fine." He gave his back to him and waited for him to be done.

"Naruto?" A familiar voice, one who he hadn't heard in a very long time, came from over his shoulder. It was rather neutral and suave. When he turned around, much to his surprise, their stood his old teammates.

"Capt. Yamato! Sai!" His cheeriness had returned. "It's so good to see you again!" They both looked unchanged since the last time they met.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" said Yamato. "Sorry, but things got complicated during the mission, so we had to extend our deadline."

"That's tough."

"So, this is what Lady Tsunade has you doing now, huh?" Sai asked.

"Yeah. Forgive the pun, but I've been on a tight leash these last few days."

Yamato turned solemn and put his hand on his shoulder. "Naruto, I'm sorry I wasn't there. If I had, things wouldn't have gotten too out of hand."

"Have the news really traveled that far?" He asked mixed with incredulousness and disillusion.

"By now, your story has stretched over the entire continent. Sorry."

"Don't blame yourself. You had work to do. Besides, Pervy Sage and Grandma Tsunade are on it…at least I hope." He could picture Jiraiya being a total flirt in a bar while Tsunade takes a dip in a hot tub.

"Naruto, if you don't mind me asking, how is it that Kyuubi's power was subjugated without being sealed away?"

"I guess I just tired myself out."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I guess I just-" He felt something escape from his hand. The tiny dog started darting away, making the leash drop. Upon impact, the retracting button was pressed on the ground, making it chase after the pup. It immediately started to panic and ran like it had seen a ghost. Unfortunately for the dog, the leash was faster and it caught up to him; the impact made him catapult himself through the air, landing on its bottom. Naruto laughed until he was holding his sides. Sai quickly went for the dog and picked it up, handing it to Naruto.

"That wasn't really funny, you know?"

"It makes me glad. I've been given the cold shoulder from these people since I got out of the hospital."

"What about your friends?"

"Ehh. Hit and miss. Anyway, like I was saying Captain…" he faced Yamato again. "…I guess I just tired myself out during the fight. I kept at it until my body couldn't take Kyuubi's chakra anymore. I guess he got tired as well."

"Hmmm…interesting."

"What? What is it?" Yamato had suddenly looked like he was meditating on something.

"Hey Captain, what's up?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I guess I lost myself on something." He apologized. "Anyway Naruto, it was nice too see you again. If you need anything, we'll be helping Lady Tsunade research on your condition."

"Aaah, come on you guys. We should catch up or something. Hey, how about we have some Ichiraku ramen tonight?"

"Sorry, Naruto, but work's been piling up since our absence. We need some time to catch up on that."

"C'mon, you serious?"

"Don't worry, it'll only be a couple of days." Sai said reassuringly. "We'll find you as soon as we're done."

"And it'll be my treat." Said Yamato with a smile.

"Really?! Yeah, you're the best, Captain!"

"All right, see you then Naruto. Good luck!"

"Thanks!" With that, they waved at each other until they could no longer be seen.

Time went by slowly as Naruto finished his route with the dog. His mind constantly trailed off while the rest off his body went on automatic. He once again thought of his dream from last night. He was deeply aroused by it, but the fact that the girl was Hinata, it made an indescribable feeling that made his body tingle and a chill go up and down his entire body. It was something new to him, and it made him uncertain about what to do. It was something new to him. Hinata's image was marked inside his thoughts until he returned to the dog's house. To avoid being stepped on again, he tied the leash to a pole outside and then knocked on the door. With all his might, he jumped high in the air before someone would answer and disappeared without looking back. There was nothing left for him but to go back home.

With his head to the floor and his hands deep in his jacket pockets, it was a melancholy walk back home for him. He thought of training before he headed home, but he didn't feel motivated enough. He thought of going to Tsunade's office to ask for another assignment, but he knew she was probably still busy. He sighed with boredom at the prospect of having an uninteresting day. He then remembered what district he was going through. It was a very familiar block; one he used to visit often so long ago. He immediately changed direction and walked down a couple of blocks to reach his old playground in front of the Ninja Academy. It was mostly unchanged from when he saw two days ago.

'Iruka-Sensei is usually still here at this hour.' He thought. 'I wonder…'

He reached the front gate and stepped inside the old building. The old corridors were identical as the days he used to study there. He checked the different doors until he found the one with Iruka's name on it.

"Come in." His former Sensei's voice sounded from the other side when he knocked. Naruto stepped into his old classroom. The teacher's desk would be at the front while the student's seats were divided into different levels. A second door was on the top level. Iruka was sitting on his desk.

"Hey Naruto, how's it going?" Iruka saluted gladly.

"Hi, Iruka-Sensei! You got a minute?"

"Sure. What do you need?"

"I kinda need to talk with you about a…personal problem." He rubbed the back of his neck. Iruka gave a surprised look for a moment, but spoke again rapidly.

"Sure, have a seat." Naruto pulled a chair from a nearby seat and placed it in front of the desk.

"So, what is that you want to talk about?"

"You see, I have this problem with…" He hesitated before answering. "…a friend of mine."

"Is it someone I know?"

"Well, yeah. You see, something happened between us, but it was like three years ago. I did something that I'm sure it offended he-" He cut himself short before he gave a hint to who that person was. "What I did was really offensive and I'm sure it hurt my friend a lot. The weird part is that I just realized this and I don't know what I should do. I mean, that person never brought that up since it happened, so I first thought we were cool on that, but for some reason, that person acts all terrified and nervous, almost as if that person still remembers it, but it could still be for a different reason which I do not know. So, what do you think I should do? Should I apologize or just let things be?"

"Well, what did you do to said person?"

A nervous sweat dripped from Naruto's forehead. He nervously looked around and bit his lip. He knew that if he said what had happened, Iruka could immediately deduce who it was.

"Come on, Naruto. You can trust me." He said with an upward inflexion of the head. Naruto thought of his answer for a few seconds. It was best to just come out and say it like it was.

"I might've caught her bathing."

Iruka gasped.

"Look, it was an accident! I didn't mean to! I just got up to go to the bathroom when I heard water splashing and there she was but it was so dark I couldn't tell it was her and lately I've started meditating and this thought came to mind which is why I have suddenly realized who that girl was!" He nervously and rapidly let it all out. He was standing in front of his desk wildly waving his arms in the air as he explained.

"Naruto, calm down. It's OK. Things like that can happen." He got up and helped him sit down.

"Look Naruto, first of all, I'm really happy that out of everyone in the village, you picked me to talk about this."

"Don't say it like that! You make it sound like I'm a needy kid with girl issues."

"Ok, sorry. But, have you thought of doing anything about this?"

"Well, I've thought about apologizing to her, but I don't know how she'll react. I could completely turn her away and she might not even wanna talk to me ever again."

"Well, girls like it when you're nice to them. What I would recommend is for you to break it to her slowly the next time you meet her and just give her a nice formal apology. If that doesn't make you all that secure, try taking her out for lunch or buy her something nice. Something not too shabby, but nice."

"Alright! You're the best, Sensei!"

"It was nothing, Naruto. Anytime you need something, I'm here for you."

"I hear ya."

"And if you ever have problems with her again-"

"It's not what you think it is!" He raised his voice and faced him with a glare.

"OK, OK. It's not my place to be saying things like that."

"Anyway, thanks Iruka-Sensei. Goodbye." He got up from the chair and waved goodbye while his former teacher did the same thing.

"By the way Sensei, I'm curious about something." He turned to him again. "Have you heard of Chakra Element Nature?"

"Of course. I know tons about it. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. I was just wandering if…you see, this one time, Kakashi-Sensei and I were training and he brought up this Element Orientation thing and he also had this little papers that react to your chakra and indicate what element type you are and-"

"You want some of those?"

"Yeah, please. I mean if you have any…"

"Sure, let me check." He opened a drawer on his desk and dug around it looking for the papers.

"What do you need them for?"

"I, uh…wanted to try something out the next time I train."

"I see. By the way Naruto, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but did you know that your type of chakra actually affects your social life? Earth-based people can get along very well with fire-based, as well as wind with water. Lightning is said to go different ways depending on-"

"Sensei, I told you it's not what you think!" He shouted again.

'Crap. Am I really that obvious?' He thought.

"OK, sorry again. Alright, here we go." He pulled two small, yellow papers and handed them to the Genin.

"You got lucky. These are my last two."

"Cool. Thanks again, Sensei."

"No problem. By the way, do you mind if I ask why you chose me?"

Naruto stopped before he opened the door. He slightly turned his head to look at Iruka.

"I just trust you. I know you would never lie to me."

Iruka turned solemn at his ominous comment.

"If you knew who my parents were, you would tell me, right?"

"Of course, Naruto." He answered. He tried to look gleeful again.

"Thanks again." He stated with a half smile and walked out.

'Damn it, Iruka-Sensei', thought Naruto as he stared at the papers in his hands. 'Who would've thought that he'd say stuff like that, as if he knew what's what? Where did that social chakra thing come from?! Well, that's the last time I try to come for advice from him. Maybe I'll try Kakashi-Sensei next time.'

His lonely walk home was interrupted for brief moments where he stopped to check out the sun's position, anxiously waiting for time to move faster. He smoothly rubbed one of his fingers against the papers. He looked at them again.

'Is it true what he said? What if Hinata's a- Ok, ok, stop. Don't let it get to you. Just try to relax.'

He took a deep breath. 'OK, so maybe what he said was true, but you're not gonna be getting any ideas until you show-' He interrupted his inner dialogue again. He grabbed the sides of his head and shook it in frustration while groaning.

'Why are you acting like this? What's wrong with you?' He let out an exasperated sigh and stuffed the papers in his pocket. At the last moment, he stopped so he wouldn't crush them inside it. He resumed walking with his eyes to the ground and his mind swimming with images of Hinata.

He made a turn and arrived at the staircase of his apartment building. He noticed a girl's shadowy silhouette on the floor, one that he could never forget. His eyes slowly opened widely and looked up. Sakura was standing with her back to the wall with eyes closed; her head was tilted downward. There were several tiny, watery dots on her face. Naruto could tell she had been crying.

"Sakura, what is it?"

"We need to talk. Do you mind if follow you?" Everything about her was neutral; her voice, her face, her stance.

"Sure." He answered after a brief pause. He proceeded up the stairs with his teammate closely behind him. He could feel an ominous air coming from Sakura, a feeling that something serious was about to happen. Even while she walked behind him, he could tell she was looking at her feet as they ascended the steps. She was tightly grasping her left knuckles with her other hand. She seemed awfully distracted as she only followed Naruto to know where she was going despite the fact that she knew where his apartment was. When she heard him stop, she looked up as he unlocked the door. He walked in and stood facing the door as she walked in. Sakura noticed the place was cleaner than usual. She remembered how messy it would get sometimes and how she'd call it a pigsty. She sat at the edge of his bed and folded her hands together while dropping them on her thighs. Naruto sat down beside her.

"What is it?" There was no answer. Sakura started gripping her hands more tightly. She bit her lip and shut her eyes.

"What do you want to say? Is something wrong?" He stared at her.

"Sakura?"

The pink-haired Kunoichi turned to face him until their eyes met. Hers were shining with tears forming in her green pupils. She reached out with both hands towards Naruto's shoulders and pulled him closer. He felt her great strength bring him nearer as she wrapped her arms around his back and embraced him with a hug. A small tear dropped and landed beside him.

"Sakura, what are you doing?!" The girl slightly pushed him away and put her hands on his cheeks. She pulled his head towards hers until they were so close, not even a piece of paper could separate them. She closed her eyes and gently made her lips touch his. Naruto's eyes were blown open with surprise. The kiss felt nice, but a little forced. He enjoyed it, but at the same time, felt guilt and angst.

"Like you don't know." Said Sakura when she pulled back. "This is what you've always wanted. Now's your chance!" She tried to pull him near again.

"Sakura, wait!" He gripped unto her arms strongly to stop her force. She was genuinely surprised at this reaction. "What about Sasuke?"

"What about him?"

"Don't you love him anymore?"

The girl lowered her arms. There was no immediate answer. It's like she was reflecting on the situation.

"Well, I do but…"

"OK, now you've lost me." Naruto stated, looking rather puzzled.

"It's just that…I've been thinking about and I've realized that you were right. You have been the one who was there for me when I needed it. You're the one who's always thinking about me and everything you do, even if it turns out wrong, you've done it with good intentions."

She placed her hand over his. "I've been so childish. I get angry about every little thing and take it out on you and then made it look like it's your fault. I have judged you so badly. I mean, even if I was aware of the presence of Kyuubi, I wouldn't show any further support or kindness towards you. At this rate, Sasuke may never return, so I want to-"

"Whoa, hold up." He interrupted. "Did you just say you're giving up on Sasuke?"

"Well, not really, but-"

"And now that you decided this you want to make a move on me? Sakura, you make it sound like I'm Sasuke's sloppy seconds."

"No, that's not what I-"

"What about the promise I made to you?" He got up this time. "I gave you my word that I'll bring him back. I was doing it not just for me, but for you. I was a kid back then, so I thought that maybe I could do it while still winning your heart, but now I know I can't change people minds like that. It just doesn't work that way. Doesn't that promise mean anything to you anymore?"

"No, but I-I…" She dug her face into her palms and started sobbing loudly.

"I don't know what to do!" She said through tears with a broken voice. "I'm so confused!"

"You deserve someone like Sasuke. He's good-looking, he's strong, he's cool…maybe a little messed up on the head and sort of emo, but I'm sure he just has a clouded judgment. Face it Sakura, you'd be fooling yourself if you said you don't like him. Look at you."

Sakura looked up to her friend, feeling compelled by his words; tears still bursting out.

"I said it once and I'll say it again: I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way." With that, he smiled and gave her an old-fashioned thumbs-up. In a way, she was relieved that part of the usual Naruto was back.

"But, what about you? Don't you like me anymore?"

"Sakura…" He approached her and lowered himself until they were at the same level. "…I always will, but if I have to give you up just to see you happy, I will."

"But."

"Think about it for a moment, Sakura. Picture yourself with Sasuke. Imagine he's back and he's happy to be here with us. We have convinced him that he has a great future here with us. Do you see yourself happy?"

Sakura didn't have to think twice. She saw herself, wrapped around Sasuke's arms while she gently stroke his hair. They were both smiling. His eyes showed no signs of anger or hatred. The vengeful Sasuke had disappeared. It felt so enchantingly beautiful and heartwarming. After a long time, visions like that still brought unparalleled joy.

"Yes, but what will happen to you? What are you going to do?"

"Me? Well, I…I guess I'll just have to find someone new. Someone else I can love."

Sakura felt lost in these words. It was as if a massive boulder fell on her head and knocked her senseless. Hearing those words escape from Naruto's mouth sounded so unnatural. She thought of him being happy with someone else. She saw pictures of him inside her head with another girl, one with long, black hair, snow white skin, and lavender eyes. Someone who seemed more deserving of Naruto. But somehow, distress and anger abounded in her head, maybe even jealousy. She lowered her sight and got up. Without saying a word or making the most minimal expression, she slowly walked out and closed the door behind her. The same air of a bad omen brewing circled the room again.

Naruto impatiently waited for the days to go by until Hinata and her team return from the mission. Whenever he wasn't needed for a petty mission, he would stroll across the city, looking for Yamato and Sai, hoping to talk to them after such a long time. After getting no results, he would go back to his favorite training ground and try to achieve something, but somehow, he felt lacking the will to do it, which was odd for him. After his experience with Hinata, doing it by himself felt strange and unordinary. He would try, but he ultimately gave up the effort and went back home. He would lie on his bed, occasionally letting out a sigh. He would only get up to get a glass of water from time to time. He wasn't hungry, but a churned sensation inside his stomach could be felt. As night started to settle, he took off his jacket and hung it on a chair. He steeped out into his balcony to watch the town's bright lights. They reminded him of droplets of water against the sunshine, much like when Hinata does her display of chakra control. He remembered the scene of such beauty, one so engaging and awe-inspiring, it was hard to let go. A sudden thought occurred to Naruto as this memory was played in his mind.

'Is water Hinata's chakra base? Wait, does Iruka-sensei knew? Is that why he brought that whole social crap up? Does he know that my chakra base is air? How? Does he think that I have… damn it, not again!' He reached for his head and shook it wildly again, trying to lose his train of thought. When he settled, his palms met his chins as he pressed against the railing with his elbows. He could see Ichiraku's ramen shop from there. Anko was stepping out from behind the curtain with dumplings on each hand. He let out a chuckle as she ate one whole in a single bite. He remembered the time he went on a mission with Shino, Ino, and her to look for Orochimaru and help a village from the attacks of what they thought was a sea monster. She was a bit scary sometimes, but he had to admit that for a sensei, she was alright and fun. He could see the Yamanaka flower shop from there as well. Asuma was stepping out with a bouquet of roses in hand. There was a small note attached to it. Naruto valued Asuma a lot more than he used to since he found out they both have an air-based chakra. He was reminded of the tricks he taught him on how to make you kunai throws stronger with concentrated chakra. Naruto's curiosity forced him to follow him with his eyes to where he was going. He looked awfully nervous and kept putting his hand in his pocket, playing with something inside it. He got to an apartment building a few blocks off from the shop and climbed several stories. He placed the flowers in front of a door, along with a small box he had in his pocket and quickly left.

As soon as he lost sight of him, Naruto jumped onto the railing and took a big leap towards the building. As he sprung forward, an unusual force propelled him, causing him to soar across the night sky. He was impressed by how he got to the building's roof in a single shot.

"How did I-?" He quickly lifted his shirt to check himself. The seal wasn't visible at this point, but felt unusual nonetheless.

"Take it easy, OK? Don't get too carried away. You're the one "borrowing" my body. I have to admit it's handy and, well, pretty freakin' awesome, but don't think you're gonna win, you got that?" He tried to tell Kyuubi, but as usual, no word from him. He jumped the side of the building and descended by grabbing onto the ledges of each floor until he got to the floor Asuma visited. He knew whose apartment this was for he had been here before. He knew Kurenai wasn't home because her team was on a mission. He knelt down to the bouquet, which smelled unusually pleasing. He took the note and read it inside his head.

_Dear Kurenai:_

_I'm sorry I couldn't do this face to face, but if I was going to do it, it had to be now. I know this isn't my style, but I will go on with this anyway. I'm sorry that the news about our child has been spread across the village to the point it is now._

Naruto stopped to let the news go through his head.

'Ok, this is news to me. Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei have a kid? No way. Wait, could she be pregnant? Whoa…are these guys in trouble or what?'

_But, as long as we are both comfortable of going along with this, there should be no problem. It all happened because of the way we feel about each other. This was no accident. When you look inside the box, you'll see a note. Read it, and I will wait your answer the day after you return. I'm not doing this because I feel forced to do it, only because I love you with a__ll my soul._

The note ended there. Naruto was shocked by what he was reading. He took a look at the small box. It all made sense now, but he had to make sure he was right.

It was just as Asuma had written. There was a note inside it. When he lifted it, a ring with a beautiful diamond sparkled before his eyes.

"Holy shit!" These words escaped his mouth. "This must be worth a fortune!"

He immediately closed the box and left it by the flowers. There was no need to read the note for it was obvious what it was written on it. He quickly got up and left as quickly as he had come.

When he returned to his apartment, his mind started to center on other things. As he lay down on his bed, he started to think about what he should say to Hinata. He still felt confused as to how should he handle this situation. After such a long time, she might have forgotten about what happened and moved on. Maybe talking about would only open some scars and bring unpleasant memories. But still, somewhere deep in his heart, he felt he had to do it. It wasn't his style to leave loose ends. If he handled the situation correctly, everything would be fine. He had to make it an apology as much as possible without hurting her or making her uncomfortable. He had to show her that he cares for her not only as a comrade, but as a friend too. He knew he had shown it a couple of times before, but the sudden realization from the night before had made him realize it wasn't the right way. He should be more encouraging and friendly with her, like he tried to be with Sakura.

"Come on, Naruto. That's enough." He said to himself out loud. "You're letting all this bull carry you away. Hinata's your friend. Why should you do this? It's not like you l-" His voice trailed off before he could finish. He remembered what he told Sakura that afternoon. He remembered that he felt like his mind was on autopilot and was letting his feelings carry him away at that point. He had to admit that when he said that last sentence, Hinata came to mind.

"Do I?" He lay down on the bed again with his arms crossed behind his head. He kept thinking about that last sentence until sleepiness took over him.

It had been a long time since Naruto had slept that well. No nightmares to drive his imagination, no bizarre visions of himself. The sunlight bothered his eyes when he opened them the following morning. He rubbed them clear and took a look around. He was fully awake at the realization of that day's date. He looked to the calendar on his wall. It was Wednesday, the day Hinata would return from her mission. He had intensely marked that day with a bold marker. He also checked his bedside clock. When he saw it read half-past noon, he let out a scream.

"I gotta get ready!" He flew for his closet and pulled a clean shirt and changed it for the one he was wearing. He grabbed his jacket and zipped it up in one swift movement. He bushed up his hair a little with his hands and tightly secured his headband as well as the Hokage's necklace. He walked out into his balcony and jumped for the training grounds just as he had jumped the night before.

"She's probably already waiting for me. Oh, man." He said to himself out loud.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"What's the big holdup? Aren't they coming?" Ino complained.

"They're just running late. Be a little patient." Shikamaru said, trying to calm her friend down. "By the way, have you checked on Sakura?" TenTen asked Ino.

"I tried, but I can't find her anywhere. I tried her house, my shop, the other training grounds, downtown, I also asked Lady Tsunade, but she said she has no clue. What do you think happened that night?"

"Who knows? Maybe she got a little jealous?" Choji thought out loud.

"Jealous? About Naruto? No way. She was the first of us to see Naruto transformed. If that didn't force Sakura to start treating him better, nothing will. Besides, Naruto's personality is one Sakura can't bear. Hell, neither can I. He's just not her type. I mean, he's alright, but not what I'm looking for in a boyfriend."

"Well, if you're going to be that black and white about it, sure." TenTen suggested. "But still, those guys have been a team such a long time. There has to be something there. Something that Sakura might be afraid to admit to herself."

"Well, whatever's the case, she missed her chance. Hinata was the one who started getting closer to him."

"Guess you're right. By the way, what are you looking for in a-"

"Look, he's coming!" At the sight of the spiky-haired ninja coming at them, everyone sprung out of the way and went into hiding through the trees beyond the lake. Naruto landed with a bounce and looked around for a while. The training ground was silent and deserted.

"Guess she's not here yet." He thought a little disappointed. "Maybe she's just running late." He sat down by the tree and closed his eyes for a while. He sighed softly and started

muttering to himself.

"Hey Hinata. How's it goi-… No, not like that." He cleared his throat. "Hey, what's up Hinata? Yeah, that's better. Look, we need to-… Wait, wait. First, try to get her to relax." He took a deep breath. "So, how was your mission? Good? I'm glad to hear it. No way! Seriously? That's awesome! No, he didn't!" He laughed silently. "Well anyway, there's something we need to talk about. No, what are you thinking? Try harder! Ok, ok, how about…" He paused his thoughts for a moment. "Well Hinata, there's something I need-… wait… I want to tell you… yeah, that's good …about. It was a long time ago, but I still think you might remember it…"

"What the hell is he doing?" Shikamaru wondered from the trees nearby.

"Why is he talking to himself?" Ino asked too.

"Could he be talking with the demon?" Choji asked.

"I don't think so." TenTen observed. "He looks like he's thinking about something, but he's having trouble thinking straight."

"What makes you say that?"

"What am I, a shrink?"

"…it was all an accident. I mean, I would've looked away, but the scene was so beautiful-… No, come on, man! That'll only make her feel uncomfortable and she'll get all nervous and shy and "blushy"." He sighed once again. "What am I going to do?" He frustratingly rubbed his head with his hands. He messed up his hair a little and then cursed himself under his breath. He started to get a unique sensation in his chest. There was a slight buzzing inside of his ears. He could hear rapid footsteps approaching him. He felt the vibrations of the impacts on the floor. His nose started tingling as well. He could smell a sweet scent, one of a flower he could not bring to mind. It was mixed with a miniscule amount of blood. He looked up and to his surprise, everything from where he was to the small district ahead of him was before his eyes. Running through the green fields was Hinata; her face had a few smudges of dirt and even tiny drops of blood. She didn't show any signs of slowing down. Naruto shrieked in surprise and hopped inside the canopy of the tree.

"Oh crap, what am I going to say to her?!"

Hinata arrived panting; holding herself up with her palms on her knees. She looked awfully fatigued. Her hair was a little messy and her clothes were a bit dirty. She looked all around her; hoping to see her secret crush again.

'I guess he's still not here. Maybe he overslept…' She made her way to the edge of the lake and looked at her reflection. She was a bit surprised to find herself in that state.

'I can't look like this in front of Naruto.' She thought while she splashed some water on her face. The refreshing feeling felt good after a long mission. She also tried to straighten out her hair. Naruto observed how she groomed herself in what he thought was quite a graceful manner.

'OK, just relax. You can do this, 'cause you're the man. There's nothing you can't handle. Everything will go fi-'

A celestial sound landed in his ears, making him forget about what he was thinking. It was a singing so soft, so sweet, he was dazzled by it. He looked downward to find that beautiful voice coming out of Hinata's mouth. She was vocalizing a relaxed, peaceful song while she stroked her hair using her hand as a comb. Naruto fell speechless at the beauty of this music. He could feel what Hinata was trying to express; peace, quiet, tranquility. He was soothed by the lovely notes and felt warm on the inside. Soon, the girl's vocals started to swell and reach a different set of higher notes. He never would've imagined the potential she had in her singing. He felt like she was enjoying herself and was happy to be doing what she was doing.

"Wow, that was amazing!" Naruto popped his head from the thicket of leaves when she was done. Hinata gasped and went rigid. She forcefully turned around to find him hanging from the tree upside down. Her face started turning apple red. Naruto let out a concerned grunt.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that I was-… well I was up there and-… I couldn't but listen to-… that was just kickass." He said when he couldn't think of anything to say. The color on Hinata's face only turned more intense. Naruto got down from the tree.

"Look, it's nothing to be embarrassed about." He tried to sound reassuring. "It's great to have a talent not a lot of people can have, you know?"

"I-I know, but-" Her redness starts vanishing. "I-I was not expecting to be overheard by somebody." She said stuttering.

"Yeah, that was my bad. You see, I had just gotten here before you arrived and I was up there." He pointed at the tree.

"What were you doing?"

"Well, you see-" He tried to finish, but he couldn't. He tried to move his mouth, but no words were coming out.

"Is everything OK, Naruto?" she sounded concerned.

"What? Oh, yeah. Everything's fine. But, the thing is-"He once again felt stuck. Hinata gave him a questionable look, not understanding what was going around inside his head. After a few short moments, he took a deep breath and said sternly and with a straight face.

"Look Hinata, we need to talk."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Oh, this is what she was up to." An unexpected, suggestive voice, followed by a deep bark, made the group jump with surprise. When they turned around, they were greeted by Kiba riding on top of Akamaru, panting happily, and Shino, who as always, wore a coat with its neck covering his mouth and his eyes hidden behind dark glasses.

"Check it out Shino. Who knew we were missing this much?"

"Keep it down, damn it!" Ino whispered loudly. "They don't know we're here!"

"You mean you're spying on them?"

"Sorta…" Choji started.

"Anyway, what are you doing here?" TenTen said almost menacingly.

"Well duh. We just came back from a mission and we left it to Kurenai-Sensei to report to the Fifth. Hinata said she had to go somewhere and left off in a hurry. It was awfully suspicious of her to just run out on us like that after a mission." Kiba informed. Akamaru barked affirmatively. "So, how long has this been going on?"

"Could you just leave?" Ino demanded.

"Are you kidding? I can't miss out on something like this." He said while he and Akamaru approached the group. Shino stood his ground.

"You can't. We're far too many people already!"

"C'mon, it'll be fine. Besides, Naruto's totally clueless and Hinata is too distracted from what happens around her when they're together." He drew closer and poke through the group along with his dog. As he got closer, his nose twitched and tickled. He started sniffing into the air.

"What's with you?" Ino asked.

"It's Naruto. He's sweating a lot. From the look of it, he's very nervous about something." He used his hand to guard his eyes from the sunlight to take a better look at Naruto. He was scratching the back of his head and was yanking his jacket's collar constantly.

"What are they talking about?"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Look, I know it was a long time ago, but maybe you still remember." Naruto said. His sweat started sliding down his face. Hinata still looked confused, not very sure of why was he acting like that. "Now, this isn't something I'm very proud of because I'm sure that if people knew about it, they would label me, but forget about that. Here it is."

He gasped sharply.

"Do you remember when we searched for the Bikochuu beetle three years ago?"

Hinata nodded.

"Well…there's something that happened while we were in the forest that-, it was purly accidental by the way, that, um… might have offended you or…made you uncomfortable or…whatever. The point is, I'm sure that you didn't like it very much." He was playing with his hands while speaking.

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked.

"Well, it's sort of a long story. You see, there was this one night when I got up to go to the bathroom. It was very late and I was kinda half-asleep, OK? Well, when I was finished, I heard water splashing. Out of curiosity, I followed the sound. When I got to where it was coming from, there was this small waterfall."

Hinata started putting together the picture he was describing. When the memory came to full view, her face went scarlet and her eyes looked like they were petrified.

"In the waterfall, I saw this girl splashing around there and when she moved her hand, the water would move with her as well. It was so awesome! Well, long story short, it's only until recently that I discovered that was…you." He felt disturbed to have to break it to her like that. He noticed that her face was blood red by now.

"L-Look, I'm really sorry!" he said with an accelerated voice while making wild gesticulations with his arms as if signaling her to relax. "I didn't know it was you. I mean, it was dark, I was still sleepy, there was no way I could tell it was you and… Look, sorry if this sounds awkward but… you were nude, right?" Hinata's head looked like an oversized tomato. Her eyes started fading and felt like she couldn't breathe. Naruto shrieked. He didn't notice that a girl's angry yell could be heard from nearby.

"L-Look, I promise- No, I swear…" He was making wild arm movements again. "I swear on the life of my unborn kid…" These last words caught Hinata's attention. She stopped from fainting and the color on her face couldn't get any more intense. "…that I didn't see _anything._" He made some emphasis at the end. "I already said it was very late and I wasn't fully awake. I could see you, but only like a shadow. That's it. Look, you're probably wondering why am I bringing this up after such a long time. Well, it's that I have been taking up meditating recently and it's been helping me bring up a lot of stuff I thought I had forgotten. One memory has been of that what happened back then. You see, I've seen myself looking at you-" He stopped cold. He started thinking about where he was going with this and what Hinata might be thinking.

"B-B-ut, I-I haven't been imaging what you look like- I-I mean, you're- it's not that I think you're- you're just- I- you're very-" He stammered. He was starting to blush.

"Ahhhhh!" He screamed in frustration while he pulled his hair. "What's wrong with me?!"

"Naruto." Hinata finally spoke. Naruto looked up at her. "You don't need to apologize." Her cheeks were still a bit crimson from the memory. The blue-eyed ninja looked awfully surprised.

"If it was all just an accident and a misunderstanding, you shouldn't be feeling guilty about it. Besides, it was a very long time ago, like you said. It's best if we try to forget about it. And don't worry, it could've happened to anybody. Who knows? Maybe it could've been Shino or Kiba the ones who had looked at me. Also, I should've been more discrete about what I was doing even though you were all asleep." When she finished, it felt like the world was waiting for something to happen. For a handful of seconds, both Shinobi started at each other in the eye.

"That's it?" Naruto asked.

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked back.

"You know, aren't you gonna punch me or go all "gentle fist" on me or call me a pervert or make me sorry for bringing this up?"

"Why would I do that? I would never treat my friends like that."

Naruto was speechless.

'Is she serious? Could she be bluffing? Is she yanking my chain? Nah, no way. Not Hinata. She doesn't have it in her. Then what? I mean, I would've at least expected her to raise her voice. Instead, it's the same old Hinata I know.'

Naruto did nothing but stare into her friend standing before him. He was surprised at such a display of kindness coming from her. It didn't feel like she was really going to hate him for what happened. With a lot of previous experience regarding women getting angry over what he did, he was astonished at Hinata's reaction. Even if he knew the kind of person he was, seeing her not getting angry about something as serious as this amazed him.

"N-Naruto…" Hinata said with cheeks burning by how he stared at her. "Are you OK?"

"Wha- oh, I'm fine, I'm fine." He said, scratching the back of his head. He laughed awkwardly.

"So… how was your mission?" He stopped scratching his head. Instead, he put his hands in his pockets and shifted himself back and forth.

"Oh, it went great." Hinata answered. "There has been a lot of disturbance in the far regions of the Land of Fire lately. It's an area of small villages with little connection to the village, but it's been said that rogue ninjas have been spotted several times."

"For real?"

"Uh-huh. We were sent to investigate on their whereabouts. Fortunately, we couldn't find any in those towns. It was until when we were heading back when we got intercepted by a small squad of them. We barely got away thanks to Kurenai-Sensei's genjutsu."

"They were _that_ tough?"

"Well, they were all fighting as if they were being controlled by something. I couldn't find anyone who seemed to be controlling them. But, here's the strange part. When I took a look inside one of them, there was a strange substance circulating across his body."

"Substance?"

"I couldn't tell what it is. It was so unknown to me. Right now, Kurenai-Sensei went to report everything to Lady Tsunade. So…" She familiarly played with her fingers. "…how have you been, Naruto?"

"Me?" He sighed a groan. "You have no idea. Grandma Tsunade has been handing me these lame missions around the village. It's like I'm a Ge- oh wait, I still am. But the point is…"

Hinata felt sorry on the inside for Naruto. She was a Chunin and she knew that because of his training with Jiraiya he had to put his promotion on hold until he returned. Even now, with so many things happening to him, he wasn't able to.

"…these missions suck. Is a great ninja like me supposed to walk dogs for a living? This is not something a future Hokage should be doing."

"But, Naruto…" He turned at her. When their eyes met, she hesitated and pulled back a little from him.

"Uh, N-Nothing. Sorry, please continue." She decided it was best not to break down his enthusiasm for his future dreams. Telling him it was for his own good would hurt him. She was glad that despite his turmoil, he still had his sight set on the future.

"OK, so I know that Grandma is afraid of another demon outbreak, but what does a guy have to do to see some action around here? That Grandma Tsunade sometimes just pisses me off. If she wasn't Hokage, I'd kick her ass. Then, we'll see who gets it." He punched repeatedly into thin air. He then pretended he got hit in the face and pretended to drop by the impact. Hinata giggled quietly. Naruto looked at her while laying down.

"What?"

"N-Nothing, I just, um…" She continued playing with her fingers while thinking of what to say.

"So…" Naruto started. "Do you feel like training?"

"Well, actually, if you don't mind…" Hinata said when she snapped back to herself. "…do you think we can do this tomorrow? I would love train with you, but…"

"You know what? You're right." Naruto interrupted as he got up. "You just came back from a mission and you're must be really tired. I understand." He finished with a smile. For Hinata, that smile was so warm, it felt like a kiss. Her eyes started to get dim.

"Uh, Hinata? Are you there?" He waved his hand in front of her face and snapped several times until she was back. She squealed inside her head when she realized how close he was to her.

"I-I guess you're right. I am a bit tired."

"Do you mind if I, uh…walk you home again?" He said with his hands down his jacket pockets and shifting like he was doing before.

"N-Not at all." She said. She couldn't help but to show a bit of her happiness. The two started walking side by side into town, unaware that the group of ninjas, and a very large dog, were following them closely from behind.

Naruto and Hinata were crossing downtown while they chatted.

"So Hinata, I know I was pretty out of the loop while I was gone with the Pervy Sage, but here's a bit of gossip that came to me recently. Is it true that Asuma-Sensei and Kurenai-Sensei are having a baby?"

"Yes, it's true."

"Do you know when's the baby due?"

"Well, I heard that Kurenai-Sensei got pregnant about a week before you returned. Right now, she should be about three months pregnant."

"Really? But why do they keep sending her on dangerous missions?"

"I don't think we should worry. Sensei can handle herself pretty well on tight situations."

"Well, have you heard if they're planning on, you know, getting married?"

"I don't know. Maybe with all the problems the village is facing right now, I mean with the Akatsuki, they might want to wait a little."

"I wouldn't say that."

"Why is that, Naruto?"

"Something awesome happened last night. I saw Asuma-Sensei walk out of Ino's shop looking deadly nervous. He had a big bouquet of flowers and a small box in one of his pockets. He left it all, along with a small note, in front of Kurenai-Sensei's apartment."

"You were following Asuma-Sensei?"

"I saw it all happen from my balcony. Anyway, the situation was so awfully curious, I had to check it out. I took a look inside of that little box and guess what? There was a ring with a diamond this big inside!" He said while sizing the diamond with his hands.

"Seriously?" Hinata said with a little excitement.

"Totally! He wants to pop the question."

"Oh, wow! Kurenai-Sensei is going to be so happy when she gets home!"

"I know, right? And besides, you had to see it coming, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, it's not just the baby, but I'm sure they really love each other."

"That's weird. I never said that they'd marry only because Kurenai-Sensei got knocked up."

"Huh?"

"I mean, you're right. Whenever I've seen those two around, they are always real close and together. I never really understood it until last night, but those two really got it goin' on. They _should _get married. What's the point of a love-less marriage, anyway?"

Hinata blushed again when Naruto finished. Hearing him talk like that warmed her heart.

"R-Right, right." She said with a hint of nervousness. "There's no point on that."

"Hey, Naruto!" He heard someone call out his name from behind. Both teens turned to face Yamato and Sai. They both looked cheerful.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Naruto saluted.

"We were looking for you. We're done with everything we needed to catch up with and are now free to have some lunch."

"After meeting you the other day, we felt it was the best we could do." Sai added.

"Alright! Ramen! It's really been a while. Hey Hinata, you wanna come with?"

She was a bit startled at the sudden invitation.

'Wow, eating with Naruto…I mean, we're not alone, but still though.'

"Um, sure. Sounds great." She said smiling.

"OK, let's go." Yamato lead on.

"Hey, you guys don't mind if we cover our part of the bill, right?"

'_Our _part?' Hinata thought. It almost sounded like he thought it was a real date. She felt her heart beat like a bass drum. Naruto noticed she was looking uneasy.

"You know, so I can make up for what happened back then." He whispered in her ear.

"Naruto, you don't-"

"Please. I really want to make it up to you. I know it's not much, but it's something."

"Well, if you say so…"

"Alright! Thanks, Hinata."

Hinata felt the warmth inside of her she had felt recently. Such a display of kindness from him was something for her to celebrate.

"Hey Naruto, come over here." Sai signaled him. The genin obliged.

"What is it?"

"What were you two doing before we found you?"

"Hey, what I do is none of your business."

"It's just that from the look of it, I'd say that you two were da-"

"You keep talking, and I'll shove a book down your throat!" Naruto menaced.

"Fine, take it easy." Yamato joined in. "I'm sure it's nothing major."

This calmed Naruto down. He didn't notice the smirk on his captain's face when he finished.

Ichiraku's was just as Naruto had remembered. It felt like it had been ages since he dug into a bowl of his favorite ramen. The sweet smell of boiling noodles and fresh pork made his mouth water.

"What are we waiting for? Let's eat." He said to his friends excitedly and dashed towards the stand. Fortunately, the place was empty save for an old man sitting on the corner of the stand. He took a deep look at the blonde youth stepping in.

"Hey, Naruto! It's been a while. How are you feeling?" Ayame, Teuchi's daughter, greeted him and his friends.

"I've been alright. How about you guys?" The moment Naruto sat down, the old man in the corner left some money on the table and left with an accelerated walk. Everyone eyed the man as he disappeared from view.

"What's with him?" Naruto asked.

"Hmm, it's just as I expected." Teuchi appeared from behind the curtain that led to the kitchen. He spoke solemnly towards Naruto.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I can't have you eating in here until this whole problem of yours is fixed."

"Say _what?!"_ He shouted, looking the old man in the eye.

"Like I said, I'm sorry, but if you're going to be scaring people away like that, we'll be out of business. Already a lot of people are aware of how much you fancy this place and now they try to avoid it."

"Come on, you can't do this! I'm like your best customer! If it wasn't for all this crap I've had to deal with, I'd be around more often!"

"My decision is final. As much as it hurts the both of us, I must do this or else my business will have no future."

"Why, you-!"

"Naruto, calm down!" Yamato pulled him back.

"You're the one who won't have a future!" He growled at the man. "Let me go!"

"Naruto, please!" Hinata tried to step in front of him. He rapidly changed his sights to her. His eyes were trembling with anger. She felt intimidated by them. This made him calm down a little and step down from the stool.

"Sorry." He said as he walked out. With a jump, he was gone into the buildings beyond.

"Naruto, wait!" She shouted to the empty street. "Please, excuse us." She bowed her head and left Yamato and Sai on their own.

Hinata found Naruto walking down an empty street, still angry about what happened.

"Naruto." She called to him. He didn't respond. She called him again.

"Naruto, please come back. We can just look for another restaurant for us to eat."

"They'll probably think the same thing the old man thought. It's all about their precious business."

"Well… ummm, how about we go to my house and…"

"You don't have to do it."

"Naruto, if this is about the whole waterfall incident, please for-"

"Hinata." He said sternly. It was an expression she had never seen Naruto use. He was serious and melancholy.

"It's not just about what happened at the waterfall. It's about everything."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Did you receive the information from Lady Tsunade?" Neji was walking with Lee on their way to the Hyuga household.

"Yes. The mission begins two days from now at noon. We are being sent to investigate some unusual activity in the Land of Rice Fields. There are many rogue clans in this area that have been causing disturbances among the civilians."

"Understood. By the way, have you seen TenTen?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I haven't seen her all day. We need to tell her about this as soon as possible."

"Good point. Where could she be? Maybe she's with- Look, there she is, in that tree."

Neji turned to where his teammate pointed at.

"What are those guys doing?"

"Hey, aren't those Naruto and Hinata? Are those guys spying on them? What could they be talking-" before he could finish, Neji pulled him down to his knees.

"Stay down and follow me."

"What's wrong, Neji?"

"Just a gut feeling. I need to hear what they are talking about."

Both ninjas side-stepped behind two large trunks near the couple and listened to their conversation.

"Like I told you, ever since the outbreak of Kyuubi, I've been recommended to take on some meditation to relax my mind and get a little peace. This has helped me look back at a lot of memories, including some with you where I can see that you try to be a great friend with me, but I'm taking it all for granted. I've realized I haven't been as good as a friend as I should be. You are always so nice with everyone and I haven't been respecting that. I should have treated you better all this time, like a better person. I've been the first to admit that sometimes I can be a bit of a jerk, just like back at Ichiraku's, and sometimes people see this as childish and immature, but that's just the way I am and I like it. I can't stand to just sit around and go down without a fight. That doesn't mean I can treat my friends better."

Naruto was talking with such confidence and security, he even surprised himself. Hinata was touched by this small speech. A yearning, a desire started to stir inside her. She felt like she could go up to him and kiss him, just once and lightly, on his cheek. That would be OK for now, but still, nervousness was in the way.

"So maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I give you my word that I will make this up to you."

"Naruto…" She said happily with her hands folded in front of her chest. Her eyes were slightly glittering.

"And you know I never go back on my word. That's my way of the ninja." He winked at her and gave her a thumbs up. "Believe it!"

Hinata smiled warmly to her friend. They continued walking until they were once again in front of the gates that led to the Hyuga district.

"So, tomorrow then down at the lake?"

"Sure."

"Ok, then. Goodbye!" With those goodbyes, they went their separate ways. Naruto took a good, hard look at Hinata as she walked into her clan's district. He smiled at her again and turned around to go home. As he did, he muttered a song as he looked up towards the sky. It felt so curious how is it that after his dispute at the ramen bar, a small chat with Hinata could turn him around. When he looked at the sky, he could see her, smiling back at him. His fantasy was intervened by the gentle strumming of a guitar. He followed that sound to a corner nearby to discover the same beggar he had heard the other day. His hair was the same as before and he was wearing the same clothes he did back then. The song he played was deep and serene, a beautiful ballad of sound, a truly enchanting love song. Naruto was nothing short of captivated. Once again, he was taken on a trip across oceans of green grass and quickly appeared flying over high tides. He felt as if he really had that sort of freedom. He closed his eyes to dig deeper into this vision. He was majestically flying through the air, across the clouds and with the sun on his side. He extended his arms and started spinning downward in a nose dive only to return to a horizontal position inches away from the ground. The satisfaction of facing danger and avoiding what could be death was a sensation that had always been a pleasure to ho,. When the song finished and returned to his senses, he approached the beggar and dropped a few coins in his case before asking,

"Excuse me, but where did you get that?"

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Neji, were Naruto and Hinata out on a date?" Lee asked his jonin companion.

"Obviously not." Neji said. "I don't think she has it in her, at least not yet."

"Did you hear what Naruto was saying? It was incredible to hear him talk about his feelings with no shame as to how would someone else would react. How beautiful!" He said with happy tears on his eyes.

"Shut it." Neji said. "Don't you get it? Hinata's taking a big risk here. My uncle had warned us about being close to him after what's happened. Of course, when it comes to Naruto, she can go as far as to challenge even her family superiors. She knows she's in danger, but she still tries to be with him. What's more surprising is that after what we just saw, it seems they are closer friends than they were before. Something must have happened."

"Well, maybe she's just trying to reach out to him and make him feel better after being rejected by his own village again. Hinata doesn't have it in her too see people get hurt like that."

"I know, but even so, it's best if I keep an eye on her. If he gets too close to her, she will be in bigger danger than she is right now. Not just with her father, but with Naruto as well."

"And I'll join you. Watching two people share their lives and interact with each other in such a way is something I must see. It reminds me of my own relationship with Guy-Sensei."

Neji stared at Lee in silent anger.


	8. Chapter 8: Wild Side

Sorry for such a massive delay. Anyway, let's keep rolling.

**CHAPTER 8: WILD SIDE**

_Dear diary:_

_The last couple of days have been amazing! Hanging out with Naruto this much is so much fun! I've never been happier. Whenever I leave for a mission, I try to finish up as quickly as possible to go back to the village and see him again. As a result from being around him so often, I feel that he can trust me a lot more than what he used to. I can tell he has as much fun as I do when we're together. Although, there's something very peculiar about his behavior recently. I know he's happy, but the way he shows it is so… endearing. It's almost as if we have been friends forever and now he can't let me go. Maybe it's because he enjoys being with me more than he used to now. Sometimes, it's this behavior that makes me go back to my timid behavior, more than usual, in front of him. _

_These couple of days have been priceless. There's no other way to describe it. I've been having the time of my life whenever Naruto is around. He's always on my mind, but recently, I've been thinking about him more deeply. When I'm laying in my bed, I imagine he's beside me, holding me and stroking my hair. I feel his body pressed to mine as I think of a sweet kiss between us. When I'm alone, I look to the sky and feel like I'm staring into his eyes. I feel warm on the inside and my heart beats strongly. I feel a tingling sensation all through my body. I know it's trying to tell me something and I think I know what it is. There's no denying it. I no longer have a crush on Naruto. It's more than that know. I'm positive that I'm in love with Naruto now. This thought almost gives me the courage to say this to him. I feel that my love__ is stronger than my fear. But, what if I'm rejected? What if Naruto doesn't feel that way? What if he still thinks of Sakura? How will he react if I tell him? Will he be happy? Angry? Sad? I just don't know. I can't tell him that until I'm absolutely sure that nothing serious will come from that. I have to find the right moment for us to talk._

"…So, it was part of like my job, at least that's how it looked like, to get him out of those places. He would get so drunk, he would forget about me. Of course, due to my age, I couldn't get inside these clubs. So, I had to transform so I looked like I was at least 18. So, when I got inside, he would be sitting right at the bar with some girls around him and they would be talking about whatever. There was this one time when I was just like three steps away from him and then, out of nowhere, this drunken girl would approach me and ask me to dance. I said no, but she was grabbing me by the jacket. I had to do this crazy maneuver to replace myself with another guy instead. I just had to swing her around a bit until she launched herself somewhere else. Anyway, I finally reach the Pervy Sage and I'm all like. "Hey, what the hell's going on? You said you'd be back at the hotel by three. It's five in the morning." I know that it was a little rough for me to be strict with the curfew of an old man, but this guy is supposed to be training me. Now, here's where it gets annoying. Pervy Sage starts talking like he's such a wise guy. He's like "Hey, buddy. Look, you think you know, but you have no idea. I've been around the block a couple times." And I was like, "Well, maybe it's because you're too drunk to find the damn hotel, Pervy Sage." Now..."

Naruto was interrupted by Hinata, who started laughing heartedly. Naruto, perplexed, looked at the girl walking along with him. Hinata quickly faced the opposite direction when she saw Naruto looking at her, blushing. He sensed an undeniable charm coming from her friend's multiple reactions.

"Wow, I've never heard you laugh like that."

"Well, it's just that that was a funny line you just did."

"You…think I'm funny?"

She nodded.

"Hmmm, never seen myself that way.

"Why?"

"I dunno. Maybe I really haven't tried being that funny."

"Well, you know a lot of funny stories and the way you describe them really help."

"You think so?"

"Uh-huh."

He smiled at her.

"Thanks."

"It's nothing, really." Hinata looked bashful again.

"So, do you know any funny stories?"

"Funny stories? Hmm… sorry."

"C'mon, I'm sure there's at least one."

"Well, umm… there was this time when Kiba, Shino and I were out training in the fields. Kiba and Akamaru were practicing their dynamic marking, Shino was working with his bugs, and I worked on my Byakugan. It was all going fine until I heard an argument between Kiba and Shino. When I got to where they were, Akamaru had peed on Shino's coat. It was scary to just listen to him talking to Kiba. He and Akamaru's knees were shaking. Suddenly, Shino let out a huge swarm of his insects and both Kiba and Akamaru ran as fast as they could, begging Shino to stop."

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, he's always in a bad mood."

Hinata felt happy that Naruto laughed at her story. "Well, he's not that all bad. He's a good friend. He gives good advice and looks well after me and the others."

"He does, huh?" He let out a sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"You know what? I envy you guys, Hinata."

"Why?"

"I wish I could get along with my team as well as you get along with yours. Maybe that way, many things could've been avoided."

"Naruto…" She saw his eyes grow cloudy all of a sudden. She thought of something to make him feel better. The only thing she could think of is putting her hand on his shoulder to reassure him that he was not alone. She gathered her courage and raised her hand. Just when she was about to feel his jacket, he burst into laughter.

"W-What is it?"

"O- Oh, it's nothing." He tried to catch his breath. "It's just that I remembered something that's just hilarious. You know that Shino never-"

A white flash followed by a thundering blast in the sky cut his sentence short. The clouds had turned grey and all spots of sunshine were gone. Both ninjas felt tiny drops of water land on their faces when they turned to the sky.

"Whoa, we better hurry." Both picked up their pace towards the Hyuga district. The tiny droplets quickly turned larger and heavier. The wind's movement grew more intense by the second. It was difficult for the both of them to see clearly through the thick rain. Naruto felt his foot bumping into something and collapsed to the ground. His face sank into a puddle of muddy water.

"Naruto!" Hinata turned to help his friend. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine. C'mon, we should be almost there." They continued their way towards Hinata's house. Both were being dragged down by their wet clothes. Soon, the gates to Hinata's family district were in view. They both got across and looked for the Hyuga's main household. The both seeked refuge under the small roof above the door.

"Heh, talk about bad timing, don't you think?" Naruto remarked.

"Don't you want to come in?"

"Really?"

"I mean, you can wait for the rain to stop."

"What about your dad? Won't he kick me out?"

"Don't worry. He's not at home. He had to attend a meeting with Lady Tsunade tonight."

"Well, alright. Let's go in."

Hinata opened the door and showed Naruto the way in. He cleaned his shoes and dropped themon a rug at the entrance and shook his head to dry his hair. He wiped his eyes to get some water out of them.

"You can hang your jacket here." She signaled a hook by the door. "Naruto, what is it?"

She noticed how distracted Naruto looked. He was staring down the long, extending hall before him and the several levels above him. He walked in small circles, admiring the vastness of the household.

"THIS is where you live?" He turned to the Chunin. "This is a palace!"

"Y-Yeah." She realized that Naruto only lived in a small apartment. He wouldn't be used to seeing such large homes.

"My apartment is a piece of crap compared to this! You come here everyday?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. This is awesome!"

"Naruto… The men's bath is upstairs. If you want, you can take a shower there."

"But, won't your family mind that?"

"Don't worry. Here we only live my father, my sister Hanabi, Neji and I. I think Neji's out of town so you don't have to worry. You can borrow one of the men's robes while your clothes get clean. When you're done, the cleaners are on the east wing.

"OK, thanks. What are you going to do?"

"I guess I'll shower, too. In case you need anything, my room is on the third floor."

"Thanks."

…………………………………………………………………………………………

"Ahh, this is great." Said Naruto when he stepped out of the shower. He was wiping his head with a towel with one hand while carrying his dirty clothes with the other. He had borrowed a robe from the bath. Underneath he had the same pair of boxers he was wearing. He was looking for the laundry following Hinata's instructions. It wasn't difficult to find the proper washing machine and soap to get his muddy clothes clean again.

"Now what?" He asked himself. For a while, he circled himself looking at the surroundings of the Hyuga's main household. "Better check if Hinata's done." He climbed two flights of stairs to get to her friend's room. Oddly enough, her door was the same as all others. For a moment, Naruto thought he was mistaken.

"Hey Hinata, you done?" He knocked. No one answered.

"Hinata?" He called again. "What is that girl doing?" He stuck his ear to the wall. He could hear her, humming a small tune. Once again, the sound of her singing mesmerized him. It was just as enchanting as before. He slid the door open a crack just enough for his eyes to peak across. He could see her standing in front of her mirror. She was rubbing something on her face. Occasionally, she would stop to observe herself and fix her jacket zipper. She tried fixing her hair in different positions and continue adding something to her face.

'What is she doing?' He thought. He turned away from the door when he heard a soft noise from behind him. He muffled his gasp with his hand so Hinata wouldn't realize he was there. He nervously looked around for any signs of movement. He heard the same sound again, only this one came from inside his head. It was a soft growl that sounded like a purr.

'Kyuubi?' He thought. 'You say something?' The demon didn't answer. 'C'mon I mean it!' Silence again. He frowned when he realized he was being ignored.

"Guess I can take a look around for now." He sighed.

As he explored the house, he realized it was a lot more immense than what he thought in the first place. Each floor had vast hallways, reaching out in great proportion. One of the rooms he found was a large bedroom. It had a king-size bed and lacked coloring in the walls. Several portraits were hung from the walls, showing a family of four. Naruto recognized Hinata, looking much younger. The girl beside her looked like her but looked a couple of years younger than her. That was her sister Hanabi. The eldest women in the picture was beautiful. He had never seen her before. He immediately assumed that must be her mother. With nothing but a look into her eyes, he realized the kind of person she was. Someone who was kind and gentle. Finally, Hisame Hyuga looked much happier than what he could recollect. Seeing him smile felt awkward, knowing the kind of person he was. This room was obviously the master bedroom.

The next room he wandered into was very similar to Lord Hyuga's with the exception that there were no pictures. He assumed he was in Neji's room. At the other end of the hall there was a room with no door. He curiously walked in, where large bookshelves scratched the ceiling and extended from wall to wall. He got dizzy just trying to imagine the number of books and scrolls the Hyuga family kept. There was very little variation from one to the other with the exception of a couple on the left hand corner of the shelf in the center. He picked one of those randomly. The front was decorated with small paintings, drawn by a child probably, and in the center there was an individual picture of everyone in the main household, including Hinata's mother. Naruto realized his hands were shivering. He felt something hot inside his body causing him to sweat nervously. Even for a simple picture book, he thought it was a beautiful thing. He looked around, making sure no one was watching him. He gently opened it.

The first pictures were of Lord Hyuga and his wife. Hiashi looked much younger. The picture was probably from when the two were still dating. The following pictures were of their wedding. He wore a dark kimono with a tail that reached the floor while the bride's was blue. The thought of Hinata's father smiling was once again bizarre for Naruto. The next page showed pictures of Hinata soon after she was born. Joy flowed inside him seeing how the Hyuga's family started to grow. It was odd that suddenly, Hiashi wasn't smiling anymore in the pictures. Not even being by her wife's side made him happy. Also, his wife looked weak and worn down. Not a single one from then on showed any signs of a smile coming from him.

'Something must've happened before Hinata was born…' Naruto thought. He continued looking at the pictures, seeing how the young Kunoichi started to grow up. When he reached Hinata's two year old pictures, her mother was missing. Instead, she was replace with Hinata's younger sister. Hanabi and Hinata were happy together, which was in contrast to their father.

'This must be after their mom died…' he thought.

Naruto grabbed a nearby chair and sat down to look at the pictures more comfortably. He saw how both sisters grew up together during their early childhood. They did everything together, from playing in their garden, to helping each other with any menial task. He would occasionally find a picture with Neji, who shockingly enough, didn't have the brood seriousness he boasts today. Soon, Hinata's appearance in the photographs was more familiar to Naruto, more like he remembered her when they became genin. Strangely enough, from then on, Hanabi's picture were only with her father, none of them were smiling. Hinata's pictures were now with Kurenai. Hinata wasn't as happy as she was in the previous pictures.

'This must be when the fight begun…'

Less variety of pictures were at the end of the album. The most notable one would be a group picture of Hinata and her team three years ago and one in present time. Everyone was happy, with the obvious exception of Shino. No one was fighting or giving a mean look to one another. It was a group in perfect harmony. Naruto felt slight envy and self-depression with that picture. Moving on, there were images of Hanabi, now a full-fledged genin. There was a solo picture of her and her headband, wrapped around her neck just like her sister, with her group. He didn't recognize who were the other ninja. The final page had solo pictures, much like in the cover, only everyone was their present age. In Hinata's picture, she was leaning back on a tree with her hands behind her back. The sun was peaking through the branches, making her hair shine. Her pearly eyes were showed a somewhat enthusiasm, not very common for her, and her smile was warm, so much it felt like a kiss. It was a perfect photograph in everyway. Naruto's mind left him as he watched it. His nervous sweating was coming back and his hands quivered yet again. In his mind, he saw himself in the picture, standing next to her with his arm around her shoulders. They would be so close; no air would go between them. He stroke the picture softly as if expecting it would react somehow and come to life. A compelling idea swirled in his brain, one that made him even more nervous. He carefully pulled the picture out of its place and slipped it into one of his robe's pockets.

"What are you doing?" A voice from behind made him shout in terror and jump to his feet. He rotated and barely saw a small blur zip by and disappeared by the side of the door.

"I wasn't doing anything! I swear! It's just a, uh… nice…pictures?" He nervously smiled. The figure behind the door shyly revealed itself. Naruto's first thought was Hinata, but the girl was too short for a fifteen-year old. She had similar eyes, but her hair and her skin color was a bit darker. She wore a ninja headband just like Hinata; around her neck.

"Hey, you must be Hinata's sister, Hanabi."

"Yes." She bowed her head with her hands folded in front of her lap. "You're a friend of my sister?"

"That's right. I'm Naruto Uzumaki." He said with a smile. Hanabi looked away for a moment, timidly.

"Yes, I've heard a lot about you from my sister."

"Really?" He looked a bit doubtful.

"Yes. She says you're an incredible warrior. Actually, I think I have seen you fight before. It was three years ago when you fought my cousin during the Chunin exam finals. I never thought anyone could defeat him."

He smiled. A little color appeared on his cheeks. "Well, I do what I can. Hey, I heard that Hinata's heart was acting up during the fight and couldn't see the end."

"Yeah. She was a bit sad she couldn't see you during your big moment."

"Guess it couldn't be helped. So, how you doing?"

"Me? Well, I just became a Genin so I don't think there's much I can tell you."

"Well, I'm still a Genin myself, so why not try me?"

"You're still-" Her surprise was obvious.

"That's right. It's kind of a long story. You see, I had to leave the village a couple of years so I kinda fell behind. But I'm not worried. I always thought words like Genin and Chunin are fancy words that people use so other people know how many exams you've aced. You can be a great ninja no matter what's your ranking."

"Really?"

"Totally. Knowing where you come from, I'm sure you're gonna be an awesome ninja, just like Hinata and Neji."

"T-Thank you." She looked away again. Naruto didn't see she was slightly blushing.

He placed the book he was holding back in its place. "Sorry about this. I was waiting for your sister and I got a little bored."

"That's OK. Don't worry."

"You guys did that book?"

She nodded. "Me and Hinata like to make picture books."

"Hanabi." Hinata's voice drew closer when she called out for her sister.

"Hi, Hinata. Had a nice day?" She waved back at her. When she came into Naruto's view, he could see something different about her face, something he wasn't able to tell. He could also sense a sweet smell coming from her.

"Hello, Naruto. Sorry to keep you waiting." She bowed to him.

"He was looking at our picture books." Hanabi said.

"Really? Did you like them?" She asked Naruto.

"Is that perfume?" He asked.

The girl looked like she wanted to hide her face inside her jacket.

"You see, I…it's a new perfume so…I wanted to try it-"

"Are you wearing make-up?" Naruto noticed she had batted her eyelashes and powdered her face. When Hinata looked up, the boy was only inches away from her face. She tried to back away, but he moved along with her.

"I've never seen you wear make-up before."

"N-Naruto, I- I- just thought that… since we had you as a visitor here, I…" She was too nervous to finish the sentence.

"Hinata, you don't have to do that for me. Looks nice, though." He scratched the back of his head, facing down. He was blushing a bit. It was nothing compared to Hinata.

"So Naruto, are you hungry?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm starving."

"How about I make you some dinner."

"Sounds great. I'd forgotten that you were a pretty good cook."

Hinata's bright cheeks showed no signs of dimming down.

"Hanabi, would you like to join us?" Hinata invited her sister.

"Sure." She answered gleefully.

"Can you guys hang on a sec? Gotta use the bathroom." He took off back to the men's room. Both girls watched him dash down the hall.

"He's the one father's been warning us about, right?" Hanabi asked. Her sister nodded.

"He's not at all as he makes him out to be."

"I know."

…………………………………………………………………………

"Concentrations of rogue ninja in the eastern countries have been decreasing. The strange thing is that there have been no reports of any village sending in their forces to stop their advance." Shizune informed the people in the Hokage's office. Tsunade was sitting in her usual chair. To her right, the village elders observed the map on the desk. To her left was Hiashi Hyuga.

"So what do you propose?" Shizune asked Tsuade and the elders.

"We already sent a squad to investigate that area four days ago. They have reported decreasing numbers just as you mentioned. A lot of them seem to have retreated, but no one knows where."

"Do you think there could be any connection to Orochimaru?"

"We have no new leads on that, so we can't know for sure. We'll have to continue our investigation."

"That's why you brought me here, isn't it?" Hiashi asked.

"Exactly. We hope that if we employ a level of Byakugan at a Jonin level, we could use it for our own investigation on the whereabouts of Orochimaru's plans, as well for other pruposes."

"Such as?"

"Itachi Uchiha, the last of the Akatsuki."

"You fear for the safety of the Jinchuruki?"

"His name is Naruto." Tsunade's voice was cold.

"I'm sorry, but if that is a requirement, I'm going to have to decline."

"What? You can't!"

"Sorry, but the least I have to do with that boy, the better."

"It's a direct order from your superiors! You-" One of the elders started.

"Wait, I'll handle this." Tsunade interrupted. She sighed and rubbed her brow.

"Look Hisame, I understand why you hate Naruto, but you can't blame him for what happened. It was completely out of his control. It was the Fourth's decision for him to be the host of Kyuubi. If you continue holding on to the past, you'll keep hurting yourself even more as time goes on."

"You'll never understand-"

"Yes, I do. I also-"

"It's not the same. You never had anything to do with that monster." He stormed out of the room and shut the door fast behind him. With arms crossed and dead eyes, he walked out with haste.

"Lord Hyuga?" A young voice came from the shadows of a corner. Out stepped Sakura, her stare was fixed on the man.

"You must be Tsunade's disciple. What do you want?"

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Hanabi, how about you get started with some tea?" Hinata's sister obliged and started boiling some water. She meanwhile washed her hands and poured some water into a large pot. She set it on the stove and lit a fire beneath it.

"Need some help?" Naruto asked.

"Don't worry. It's fine, really." She felt that a meal made with her own two hands would give the food a bigger value. She poured some dried noodles into the pot and a current of steam floated out. Naruto's nose tickled with the delicious smell of noodles, which made him happy. The savor of that smell made him get up to his feet and walk all the way to the pot. Hinata got startled.

"Smells great."

"T-Thanks." She smiled shyly, trying to restrain her awkwardness. Naruto began sniffing into the air again. This time he headed for where Hanabi was making the tea. She too was nervous for having him so close.

"What is that? It smells so sweet."

"It's uh, spearmint."

"Really? I've never had spearmint before." He curiously circled the pot. Hanabi backed away a little. Soon, Naruto jerked his head upward and started sniffing into the air again. He circled the kitchen, occasionally opening cabinets and pulling out spices, conserved goods, and even took a look inside the freezer. Both girls questionably observed, not fully understanding what he was doing.

"Hey, Hinata. Try this." He threw a small plastic can full of red powder. "Throw it in with the noodles."

"Um, Naruto…"

"Trust me." He said looking sure of himself. Hinata couldn't deny the look on his face. She poured some of the powder into the pot, turning the water light red.

"How about this?" This time he brought a bottle with a dark sauce inside to her.

"You like barbecue sauce?"

"Mmm-hmm" He nodded.

"Alright." She poured some of it into the pot.

"Catch!" When Hinata turned around, half a dozen eggs were flying at her. She quickly reacted and caught them all one by one.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" She said laughing.

"Helping you out with dinner."

"You can cook?"

"I have no idea. I'm just mixing stuff that smells tasteful. Maybe I'm just thinking of some Ichiraku ramen right now."

Hinata giggled. "You sure miss that, don't you."

"You have no idea." They both grinned at each other.

Naruto continued bringing different spices and condiments over to Hinata. She would pour some into a spoonful of ramen and they would both have a taste. She would also occasionally recommend something to Naruto and he would let him taste it. Hanabi could really tell they were enjoying themselves while preparing dinner. There was something very spontaneous about both their behavior and how they interacted. She was surprised by her sister, who slowly seemed to forget that now Naruto was standing beside her all the time. Soon, Naruto brought out some meat. She brought out a tray a couple of large knives and started chopping away. She easily chopped her piece in nice little squares while Naruto was struggling with a messy work.

"Here, let me help." Said Hinata when she was done. She grabbed Naruto's hand. Naruto gulped a bit.

"Thanks." He said in a shaky voice.

"No pro-" Before she finished, she realized she was holding Naruto's hand. She had gone into autopilot. She had spaced out while her hand automatically sliced the meat.

"Hinata, watch you're gonna– HINATA!" He grabbed her by the forearm and pulled it upward. She was still holding the knife. She rattled her head to come back to her senses.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean what's going on?! You were about to chop off your own hand!" Hinata looked down. On of the hands she was using to hold down the piece of meat was right at the edge of a cut.

"U- Sorry. I feel a little distracted today." She apologized embarrassed.

"Well, I guess it's fine as long as you're OK."

"Right." She answered. They both continued slicing away. Naruto jokingly put his hand before Hinata's so she wouldn't cut herself. They both laughed.

It wasn't soon until the entire house was amiss in the delicious smell coming from the kitchen. Naruto's thought of tasting it made him hear a celestial chorus. Hanabi and Hinata had set the main dining room table and served tea for three people. Hanabi was sitting across from Hinata. Naruto came out the kitchen with three large bowls steaming with ramen.

"Chow time!" He said with glee. He handed one to Hanabi, the other to Hinata, and saved one for himself. He picked a chair and sat next to Hinata. She froze for a while just before she took a sip from her cup. Naruto cracked separately a pair of chopsticks and started digging into his plate. Both girls giggled for watching him eat with such gusto. When he realized this, he looked up with his mouth covered in soup, laughing a little embarrassed.

"This is delicious." He added. "Thanks." He wiped his mouth.

"Well, you did help a lot, Naruto."

"Yeah, but you're the real cook."

"Actually, I'd say you know your cooking well."

"Really? That must've just slipped out of me, I guess. I should try making my own recipes more often"

"You could try some of my sister's, too." Hanabi added.

"That'd be awesome! I'd love to eat like this every day!" He resumed eating, this time with more self-control.

"I-I'm sure you would." Hinata said. There was a glisten in her eyes and her face was scarlet. A vision of she cooking everyday for Naruto made her happy. He took a look at her. She immediately reached for her cup and took a drink. Naruto twisted his head to his side as a sign of curiosity.

"Hey Hinata, don't mind if I ask but…why do you like me so much?"

A prolonged squirt of hot tea was spewed from Hinata's mouth while her face simultaneously started burning. Hanabi had to duck to avoid it.

"OK…" He said awkwardly while sweat dropping.

"N-Naruto, I'm sorry!" She apologized. "I uh- just, um… burnt my tongue."

"Umm…how about I rephrase what I just said. Would that make you feel more comfortable?"

Hinata was disappointed in herself to make it look obvious that she wasn't at all secure about talking about her emotions. She didn't answer.

"OK, what I meant is that you really seem to…look up to me or, uh…what's the word? Oh yeah, appreciate me for what I do. Is that why you're always so nervous and uncomfortable around me or something?

Hinata mind was as blank as her face. She had no idea what to answer. It was a relief that Naruto hadn't accurately guessed the truth, but she still had no words to say.

"Well, Naruto…" She started off slowly. "… I am like this is because… I just uh… feel a bit… "

"What?"

"You see… I feel that… you have something that I wish I had but I just can't no matter how hard I try." She took a more sincere tone. One that was almost intriguing to Naruto.

"Go on." She now had his full attention.

"You see Naruto, you're the bravest person I know."

"C'mon, you don't mean that." He said blushing.

"It's the truth. You have something that I haven't seen in nobody else. Something that is far stronger than any ninjutsu or genjutsu…confidence.

"Confidence?" He asked.

"Yes. Not only do you have the strength and the courage to keep going no matter what odds you face, but it's something not a lot of people today have…the ability to make others believe in you."

"What do you mean?"

"Every time I see you fight, you are always so determined to face a challenge head-on and you don't let any doubts within you make you turn back on the challenge."

"Well, there was the fight with Neji during the Chunin exams. You talked me into that."

The kunoichi's bashfulness was just getting larger.

"Well, I knew you had it in you anyway. I guess you only needed someone to make you realize it. I wish I was more like you. It's hard for me to speak my mind the way you do. If I did, maybe my father wouldn't have given me the cold shoulder when I was younger."

"Wow…" Naruto said surprised. "I've never thought about it that way. Thank you, Hinata." They shared a short stare into each other. Soon, the atmosphere turned awkward and they both turned the other way with red cheeks.

"But…you have to admit you're not as timid as you think you are."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. I don't think I can remember a time three years ago when we could just sit down and talk like we're doing right now. Still, I think the way you are right now is just fine."

Hinata went speechless.

"Ever since the last outbreak, I've been thinking a lot about things. I realized that even though people can change, for the better or worse, the part that was who they were before will never disappear. Sure, things about you can change, but deep down, you will always have a part of you that you used to be. So even if you are more confident of yourself right now, I can see you are still kinda timid. I think you should stay that way. After all, that's the Hinata I've known all this time. If one day I woke up and find out that people aren't who I thought they were, that would suck."

"You mean you're…OK with who I am?"

"Totally. That's why I believe that I can find Sasuke and bring him back. Sakura will always love him and that's something that I've learnt the hard way. The best thing I can do is to make her happy that way."

Both of them didn't realize that Hanabi had already left the table.

"Besides, I think you're really strong, too."

"No way." Hinata hadn't noticed she was fidgeting her fingers again.

"I'm serious. I know better than to mess with the Hyuga clan. The Byakugan is just kickass. And that "Gentle Fist" jutsu is killer. I wish I could do that. Personally, I think it's better than regular pain."

"Regular pain?"

"Yeah, you know. Take for example Grandma Tsunade. She can punch right through a chest. That's regular pain. But you, OK I'm gonna use Neji as an example, can puncture into a person's chakra network and you start feeling like you can't move and then they can hit you right in your heart or your lungs and make you bleed from the inside out. I've even imagined that they can adjust your nervous system and mix it all up. Like when you try to move your arm, you wink or something like that. That is super pain and it rocks."

Hinata showed her enjoyment for Naruto's wild idea with a short laugh.

"Well, I've never tried that, but I could."

They both laughed again.

Hinata started slowly tossing her food around the bowl with her chopsticks.

"I don't think I've ever seen myself the way you see me, Naruto."

"You Just need to be more confident of who you are."

"No, I'm serious. Thank you. This has really helped me."

This time it was Naruto the one who was blushing.

"Um, sure. No problem. It's my thing after all to help people."

They were silent again. Naruto shifted in his chair and got a bit closer to Hinata.

"Hey, I just remembered." He dug into his pocket and pulled out two yellow squares of paper.

"I got this from Iruka-Sensei. I wanted you to try something." He handed it two her.

"Now, I want you to focus just a little bit of chakra into your hand and you'll see what happens."

"OK." She did what she asked him without questioning what was going on. She focused chakra into her hand and the small piece of paper went wet.

"What happened?"

"That means your chakra has a water element nature?"

"What does that mean?"

"There was a time when Kakashi-Sensei was giving some new training to me where I learnt that everyone has a different chakra element nature." He took his piece and held it up in front of Hinata. In the blink of an eye, the paper was sliced in half.

"I learnt that I have air element nature."

'Damn it!' He thought. 'Iruka-Sensei is on to me.'

"Well, I guess it makes sense. I've felt it's easy for me to control water, like when I practiced my Eight Triagrams Sixty Four Palms."

"Exactly. I just felt like showing you just so you know what your strong point is. Now that you know, you can make your own techniques based on water. That's what I've been trying to do. You should check out my Rasengan Shuriken."

"Sounds nice. You know what? Since the human body is mostly water, I think that what you were saying about controlling people's nervous systems could be done with water control."

"Hey, yeah. That's what I'm talking about new moves!"

After that, they continued eating until they had their fill.

"I'm stuffed." Said Naruto. "We should do this again sometime."  
"I'd love to." Hinata agreed. "Thank you for coming." She then noticed the sudden silence that had fallen over the house. She looked outside the kitchen window and saw stars in the sky.

"It stopped raining."

Naruto stood beside her, watching the sky clear out.

"Guess I better check if my clothes are done. Be right back."

When Naruto returned, fully clothed, both sisters escorted Naruto to the door. He quickly slid his sandals in and walked out.

"Thank you for stopping by."

"Thanks for having me. I had a good time. So Hinata, I'll see you again tomorrow?"

"Sure. We can start making our own jutsus."

"Cool. Well, good night." Hinata waved back at him.

"See you later, Naruto." Hanabi said. The blonde ninja hadn't taken five steps before he turned around and faced the two girls again.

"Say Hinata, can I ask you something?" Hinata took an odd look at Naruto. He was looking meek all of a sudden.

"I was actually thinking that maybe we could try something different from training tomorrow." He scratched the back of his head.

"Different? Like what?"

"Well maybe… just if it's OK with you…I was wondering… if you'd like to… I don't know, go-"

"NARUTO, GET IN!" Hinata reached for him and pulled him inside the house with a quick jerk of his sleeve. Hanabi shut the door. They started running towards the other end of the house.

"What's going on?"

"My father's coming."

"What!?" Terror was on his face.

"He was just running up the path. I can feel he's angry. You have to get out of here."

"Through where?"

"The back door. You have to leap over the wall and no matter what you do, just keep running."

"What about you?"

"We'll distract him to give you a chance."

"Will you be OK?"

"Don't worry. We'll be fine."

The girls showed him the way out. They pointed the wall and Naruto took off.

"I'm sorry!" He shouted as he left.

"It's OK." Hinata answered. Both she and her sister ran back inside, hoping to run into Lord Hyuga. To their fear, when they got to the front door, their father was nowhere in sight. Both looked at each other. Both had gotten a pain in their chest, a sign of the danger approaching Naruto.

The young ninja kept running as fast as his feet allowed him to move. He was aware that the Byakugan could easily spot him, so he had to keep pressing onward. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop an all fours. He felt the raw power taking over him, accelerating his entire body. This feeling of danger, the fear of the enemy catching up to him, was starting to bring about the primal instincts inside him.

'No. Not now. Not here!' he thought.

'I'm afraid you don't have a choice.' The voice inside his mind replied.

'No. You're not my master. I control YOU!'

'You don't stand a chance against him. Together, we can kill him.'

'SHUT UP!' He could see Kyuubi's face, poking through the bars of his cell, looking at him in the eye. He drew closer and closer by the second.

'I can't put these people in danger. I have to get out of here.' He changed his direction to the northeast.

'I can reach the village gates faster if I go through here.' He planned. He followed his instincts and navigated the thick heads of the trees. When he got to a clearing, he tried to jump across it in a single leap. Halfway through, he felt a hard blow land on his shoulder, making him collapse and land on his face. All feeling in his arm was lost. He weakly got up and turned to face Hiashi Hyuga, his eyes burning with the power of his Kekkei-Genkai.

"You should count yourself lucky you have the Hokage to protect you, Jinchuruuki. She just doesn't see you for who you are. You are a menace to everyone you cross paths with. You don't deserve to call yourself a ninja."

Naruto glared at him and grinded his teeth.

"You don't deserve to call yourself a father. If you were, you would've looked after Hinata instead of casting her off."

"That's is not your concern! You will not be involved with my family again, understand?"

"Father!" Hinata landed behind Hiashi. "Please stop." She had her hands over her chest.

"You're defending him!?" His voice became darker.

"He doesn't deserve this! Please leave him alone!"

"You will put the well being of this monster before your own father? That's treason!"

"Father, you don't know what you mean." Her voice started cracking and her eyes were glistening with tears. Naruto was struck by the impact of this image.

"Don't you know what he has done to our family? To me? To you?"

Hinata didn't comprehend.

"When the nine-tailed fox attacked fifteen years ago, your mother was still pregnant with you. She had no choice but to go to the front lines and help the other warriors. I failed to protect her from the beast. She was struck right in her heart. When the medical corps took her in, we all feared neither of you would make it. The damage your mother had taken would never be reversed. I was devastated. But still, she endured your birth and even brought about a second daughter. It was then when all her strength was gone. A few days after Hanabi was born, she passed away. Many of the heart's veins were broken simultaneously. She died in an instant. We couldn't save her."

The air around them had become heavy and smothering. Again, Naruto felt someone was squeezing his heart. Hinata was trembling. Her crying had stopped but it looked it would resume at any moment. Hiashi stood there, almost as if expecting some positive reaction in his own favor, but she only looked downward; her eyes were misty, detailing that she was in her thoughts, thinking about what she should do.

"Well?" his father demanded an answer, but there was none.

"Answer me!"

"Father…" She started softly, "…I understand why you must feel this way for Naruto…but I think what you're doing is wrong." Hinata had taken a more serious appearance, almost angry.

"WHAT?" Hiashi was stunned. Naruto looked into the girl's eyes. They were beaming with a sense he hadn't seen coming from her since he saw her fight Neji during the Chunin preliminaries.

"Why should Naruto be blamed about something he couldn't control? Why should he be held guilty because of what the demon did? You really think that he asked for it to happen? He had only been born when Kyuubi was sealed inside him. Naruto is nothing like him. He's kind and wholesome. He would never hurt the people of this village. Why can't you understand? You must forget about this grudge you hold against him!"

"You don't care about your own mother!?" Hiashi looked deadly.

"I'm sad I couldn't be with her much longer, but I don't want to blame Naruto. Why can't you do as well?"

"Hinata…" Naruto was amazed by Hinata's bravado. Her timid wallflower demeanor had been cast away. In its place stood another Hinata, one with security and confidence, enough to speak up against her father. Hiashi was motionless. His face had a neutral expression. He closed his eyes and exhaled profoundly. In a flash, he disappeared from Naruto's sight. He looked around but there were no signs of him. The next thing he knew, he heard Hinata shout out in pain and collapse to the ground, unconscious.

"Hinata!"

Hiashi Hyuga appeared right beside her; his left arm was extended outwards.

"Hinata, you have failed me."

Naruto saw it all happen, almost as if in slow-motion. Hinata's cry, her fall, her painful landing, her father attacking her without remorse. His entire body was overcome by an intense shiver. His eyes were getting foggy, almost as if he was going to lose consciousness. He grasped the dirt ender his hands tightly. His breathing was becoming accelerated and ferocious. His eyes were turning bloodshot red. He growled at the offender. The anger inside of him was making red chakra leak out violently, more than before. Hiashi observed the transformation in horror; how his skin was being peeled off and his blood was mixing with the foul energy. It covered him from his head to his feet. His hands and fee turned into claws of blood. His face was dark and no longer human. The ears of a wild animal formed on his head. Five tails were sprouting, wildly waving in the air. Kyuubi had been unleashed. Its roar echoed in the distance.

Hiashi took a fighting position. Kyuubi dug his hands into the ground and sprouted around Hiashi , trying to slash him. He gathered chakra in his palms and used his gentle fist to defend himself, but when the hands would be repelled, they would come back. It was as if he was fighting giant snakes. He had to constantly dodge while maintaining the offensive. Kyuubi was not going to slow down. The energy pouring out from him was burning the wildlife around them. Hiashi tried to approach the demon, quickly dodging his attacks. He gathered all his strength and attacked with a blinding display of Gentle Fist. He punctured Kyuubi's body with his chakra, enough to send him off flying a couple feet and falling to the ground. He immediately got back up and roared again.

'Impossible. That layer of chakra can protect him from any attack? Just what is this creature?'

They were both at a standstill. They both wanted to end this as soon as possible. It was all a matter of who attacked first. Hiashi took his position again and Kyuubi stood on his hind legs. He opened his mouth and out came of stream of pure chakra straight towards the Hyuga leader. He jumped into the air to dodge. The display of raw power surprised him. He witnessed the destruction of such power. Before he could react again, a tail was coming straight for him. He deflected it with a fast kick. Just then, another came. He had to shift his entire body in midair just to have a chance to counter.

'He only attacks by extending his claws and its tails towards me. The concentrated chakra must be too much for him to move.'

When he touched down, he charged towards Kyuubi again. He wanted to end it with a single blow. He jumped at him to acquire momentum, but he was shocked to see the demon charging at him to. Hiashi was rammed by the force and the weight of it. His face was slashed right across the chest and one of the tails slammed him into the ground. He lay there with no signs of continuing the battle. The beast roared in victory.

Kyuubi took notice of Hinata, still passed out. He slowly approached her and examined her and snThfed her. He observed her without the intent of attacking her. He gently pressed his head against hers, almost as if he wanted her to get up. He purred softly. When she started opening her eyes, he backed away. She slowly lifted herself just enough to see what was happening. When he saw Kyuubi in front of her, she gasped and tried to back away. The monster growled at her reaction. This was the first time Hinata had seen Naruto's transformation up-close. She didn't know what to do. She was afraid of being attacked, but when she realized the demon showed no signs of wanting to fight, deep inside, she was more relaxed.

"Are you...Kyuubi?" The demon didn't answer. "Is Naruto going to be OK?"

Unsure of herself, she stood up. She was still weak from her father's attack. When she saw he was down, she feared for the worst.

"Father!" She ran to his side. She kneeled by him and made a hand sign.

"_Byakugan!_" She shouted. She examined his inner workings. His chakra network was unstable. The wounds were deep. They were like burnt marks, only more tense. His body was struggling to control them. Hinata pressed on several of his chakra points to increase the flow to the wounded areas.

'He's going to be alright. Thank goodness.'

Kyuubi was still looking at her, who seemed to be at peace; with no desire for killing. Hinata was estranged by it. She wondered why would a beast only known for bringing destruction not attack without caring if it's friend or foe.

"You're not going to hurt me?" She got back up and slowly started to get closer. She was nervous, not because she feared for her life, but because she feared for Naruto. Kyuubi didn't move. He was sitting on all fours, waving his tails high.

"_Byakugan!_" She shouted when she was right in front of it. She could see the intense chakra surrounding Naruto's body, which was only a silhouette inside the animal-like shell.

"Is Naruto going to be OK?" She asked. The demon only tilted his head to his right. She was starting to feel better knowing she wasn't in danger. She held out her hand, and hesitatingly, placed it on Kyuubi's head.

'It's warm.' She said. It was then when one of Kyuubi's tails vanished. He looked at Hinata. There was something about his look, while it was almost impossible to make out anything, that made Hinata think it was happy. She smiled.

Kyuubi suddenly picked up his ears and wrapped one of his tails around Hinata. He jumped forward to narrowly avoid a huge block of wood rising from the ground which formed a dome. He slid into a landing and let the girl go. Hinata looked around her and saw they were surrounded. In front of them were Sai, Yamato, Tsunade, and Kakashi. Other Jonin and Naruto and Hinata's friends were there. Kyuubi growled angrily at his attackers. The tail he had just retracted sprouted again. He took a step forward.

"Yamato, on my signal." Tsunade glanced at him. He nodded and prepared a hand sign. Kyuubi realized this and charged at full speed ahead.

"WAIT, DON'T!" Hinata shouted, but it was too late. The demon had a one-track mind.

"Lady Tsunade…" Shizune looked nervously at the Hokage.

"Wait for it." She answered. She eyed the incoming monster in the eye. She was prepared for anything. The surrounding ninja felt compelled to do something, but the fear was just too much.

"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune was losing patience.

"Not yet!"

Even Yamato started sweating nervously. The demon got ready to swing its claws at them.

_Earth Style! Black Swamp!"_ A voice was heard shout out a jutsu. The ground surrounding Kyuubi started to become loose and muddy. He felt as if he was being swallowed by the earth. It violently shook its tails and burst chakra in all directions. Jiaiyra appeared in front of the demon.

"NOW!" He shouted. Yamato stepped up to the demon and applied a binding jutsu around it to prevent its movement. Kyuubi's body fell heavily against the muddy floor. Yamatp got close enough and punctured the demon right in the chest. The glow of the First Hokage's necklace shown from beneath the layer of bloody chakra. The demon started convulsing and the energy started to fall away. Hinata got close enough to see how the angry beast slowly transformed back into Naruto. He was covered in his own blood and his entire skin had what looked like burnt marks. It was painful for everyone to see such a scene. When all was over, the ninja, too weak to stay conscious, fell. Jiraiya and Tsunade immediately went to him and started giving him attention. All the other ninjas got closer too.

Hinata!" Neji called to her. She saw him coming along with all of Squad 8. "Are you hurt? Did something happen?"

"I'm…fine. He didn't hurt me." All looked at Hinata with surprise.

"Neji, Father needs medical attention!" She pointed at him. Her cousin quickly ran to his uncle's side.

"What do you mean he didn't hurt you?" Kurenai asked.

"He…protected me."

"What? Why?"

"I-I don't know." She said stuttering. Everyone was confused. All four turned to the small crowd, where from the center was coming the glow of Tsunade's medical jutsu. They were all asking themselves the same question inside their heads.

From afar, Sakura had been watching it all happen. She clutched her heart as her tears started falling. She turned away and ran as fast as her body would allow.


	9. Chapter 9: Hard to Handle

I have just uploaded a small bio of myself into my account if you wish to check it out

It's funny how life can treat you sometimes. One day you're happy because you just had a four day weekend (air guitar!) and you finish this chapter sooner than anticipated (another air guitar!), but then you're bummed out because a thunderstorm has hit your city and you're out of Internet for a whole week (I wish I could make something like that up). No Internet for an entire week! The only thing that could make this more awful is if my modem had set me on fire and done me up the ass with my katana (yes, I own one). SO, I felt I was living in a cave for seven days with no outside contact, but at least I had my iPod with me so I could listen to some kickass tracks, including Dude(Looks like a Lady), or as I like to call it, the Sexy Jutsu Song. Personally, I think Naruto characters should have their own theme song. In the future, I'll be letting you know my thoughts on what I think would be the most appropriate theme song for some characters.

It's amazing that it's been a year since I thought of the overall story and I still haven't put it all down on paper. I feel like I have accomplished very little. So, from now on, I will spend my Saturday and Sunday mornings contributing to this story. For this chapter, all NaruHina fans might want to shoot themselves with a tranquilizing dart before you finish reading all the way to the end. OK, that's an exaggeration, but I'm sure the ending will send you into a state of epileptic excitement!

By the way, if anyone complains that this chapter is very long, I'm gonna have to ask you to step outside (you lazy ass). Also, I'd like to apologize for any bad grammar or repetition on the last chapter. I kinda rushed that one in because I was so behind.

**CHAPTER 9: HARD TO HANDLE**

Tsunade was standing against the window in her office, leaning on the glass. She was looking profoundly at the training grounds where the battle took place, which now resembled a crater. Below, by the entrance to the mansion, a multitude of angry citizens had gathered. She could hear complaints about their well-being and the safety of their families. Some of them threatened her to banish Naruto from the village. Several ninja were trying to control the crowd from breaking in. On the far side of the village, a smaller group of citizens were surrounding an apartment building. The majority was concentrated below a balcony, whose windows were closed and covered with sealed tags. People were madly throwing rocks and debris at it while cursing loudly. It seemed the entire town was on the brink of darkness, at the crossroads of destruction and insanity. In her darkest dreams, Tsunade had thought that if Konoha was to be covered with shadow, it would be when it was invaded by Orochimaru or the Akatsuki. Now, the very hatred of the people towards the Jinchuuruki of the Hidden Leaf made it look like that time had arrived.

"It's just like you said." Tsunade had not realized Jiraiya had walked in. "We can't control people's behavior."

"You're not talking about the villagers, are you?" She didn't look at him when she remarked.

"Look, I should've seen this coming. Fortunately, casualties were at a minimum."

"It's not Hiashi I'm worried about."

"I know. How are you feeling?"

"Like I seriously need a drink."

Jiraiya walked to her side. For a moment, they were both in silence, observing the riot below them.

"I can tell what he's doing right now. He has closed his drapes to avoid light from the outside from coming in. He's probably in bed, curled up with his back against the door. There are probably a few who are menacing it to bring it down and drag him out of town by their own hand. He's trying to ignore their insults. He's trying to sleep, but he can't."

"We hope for the best and prepare for the worst. We did what we had to do. It not only hurts him, but everyone as well. In time, they will settle down and leave him alone."

"Those idiots are the least of my worries. My biggest concern is his spirit."

"Spirit?"

"The last time I saw him face to face, his eyes were dead. It was disturbing, like all life had been sucked out from his soul. His way of talking has changed too. It's like he doesn't care about anything anymore. He speaks monotonously and dry. I think his spirit may have finally been broken."

A small tear dripped from Tsunade's eye. Jiraiya stopped the tear with his finger. Just then, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." Tsunade answered. In stepped Yamato.

"Lady Tsunade, Master Jiraiya, can I have a quick word with you?" They both nodded. Tsunade sat on her chair and Jiraiya stood beside her with arms crossed.

"I've been meditating this for the last few days and I want to share it with you. As you know, when we arrived at Kyuubi's location, Hinata Hyuga was there too, but the demon didn't seem to have the intent of attacking her."

"Yes, we know." Tsunade said.

"Well, I've been thinking about this and I have considered that maybe Naruto's subconscious was still active when he transformed."

"But if it was, then we wouldn't have the Lord of the Hyuga clan hospitalized for five weeks."

"I know, but my theory is that since the seal holding the Nine-Tailed Fox in place is weakening, then the line that separates it from Naruto has been blurring. Each are now starting to become part of one another."

Tsunade and Jiraiya were silent as they were analyzing Yamato's message inside their minds.

"Which brings me to my next point. Ever since we encountered Sasuke in Orochimaru's lair, I saw how he used his Sharingan to suppress Kyuubi. Maybe, just maybe, I believe that there might be a connection here. I don't think the beast attacked the village fifteen years ago on its own free will."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Tsunade and Sakura walked into a small, windowless room. The door was covered from top to bottom with tags; their symbols were complex and a strong presence could be felt coming from them. The sign on the door said "Authorized Personnel Only". The walls were completely white. In the far corner was Naruto's bed. He was sitting on it; the sheets were covering the lower half of his body. He was wearing a green robe, the type patients had to wear. His head was down and his eyes weren't looking at anything. He was completely motionless. For both women, it was like observing a statue. Sakura gulped and almost hesitated approaching him. She felt that at any moment, he was going to jump from his bed and attack her. It wasn't any easier for Tsunade, who wasn't used to seeing Naruto so down, almost lifeless.

"We need to talk, Naruto." Tsunade said. The boy didn't react. Tsunade sighed and rubbed her brow.

"Hinata explained us what happened, well, everything as far as she knew. It was enough for us to deduce. We don't want you to blame yourself for what happened, OK? Jiraiya and I should've done something more helpful for you in the first place."

He was still silent. Tsunade doubted she should keep talking.

"I know this is going to be difficult, but none of us can afford to take risks like these. I have talked this over multiple times with the village elders. I tried to defend you as far as I could, but their decision was final. As painful as it is, you will be kept under lockdown until we can find a solution to your problem."

Sakura silenced a gasp since this was news for her. Her heart started aching when she heard those words. She clutched her fists tightly to try to hold herself back. She wanted to say something, but wasn't sure of what words to use.

"The elders will allow you to stay in your apartment. You won't be allowed to leave unless you are being escorted by someone assigned by me. The only place you will be visiting will be the hospital. Be aware that this will only happen when we might need to talk to you or when we have an advance on your situation. If necessary, you will be taken to some other place. Food will be brought to you everyday, so you don't have to worry about that. All doors and windows of your apartment will be marked with tags such as the ones on the door to this room. While you were unconscious, we took a blood sample to get a reading of your unique chakra signature. We embedded this reading into every tag. If you try to walk out your door or window, a binding jutsu will be triggered, stopping you from leaving. Also, there will be a two-man squad keeping guard around your building 24\7. I know this sounds like too much, but the elders aren't taking this easy. None of us, anyway. All this will have to apply until we have progressed with you. So, as much as it hurts everybody, you're going to have to face it. You have become a danger to those around you and yourself as well."

Sakura noticed a tear formed in the corner of her master's eye.

"How's Lord Hyuga?" Naruto finally spoke. His voice was weak and raspy. He sounded monotonous and bleak. Both Tsunade and Sakura were startled.

"H-He'll be in bed for at least five weeks." Tsunade stuttered. "He's…in a coma."

Naruto paused for a bit before talking again.

"What about Hinata?"

"Don't worry. She's not hurt."

"Are you sure?" He looked into the Hokage's eyes. She went stunned as she looked into the vacuum that had formed in his cerulean orbs. Sakura took notice of this, too.

"Everything that she has stood for has fallen to pieces." He said as he turned his back to them. "She has always seen something in me, something that I forget sometimes. She believes that I am strong, that I believe in myself and I can take on the world. But now, she has witnessed how low I have sunk. I have turned my back on the people of my own village. I attacked the leader of her clan, her own father. I let my anger control me. I let that fuckhead take over me. You say I don't deserve it, but I do. I am weak."

"Naruto…" Tsunade tried reaching out to him.

"I don't think I can look her in the face again. She must see me now the way her father does. The way everybody else does."

Sakura's fists were in a tight grip. The veins on her hands started swelling. She bit her lip until it almost bled. Her guilt was swirling insider her mind, making her feel worse by the second. She felt hopeless at the image of her friend in defeat. Tsunade look scared as well. She had never seen Naruto this She tried to talk, but no words came out of her mouth. She looked around; trying to think of something to say that will make him feel better. When nothing came to her, she turned around and left the room with Sakura. Before stepping out, she took one last sad glance at the boy.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

A man was walking the dark streets of the city with haste. He kept his hood up to avoid being seen by others. With his hand, he was playing with something inside his jacket pocket. He avoided the streetlights to maintain a sense of stealth. He quickly looked around to make sure he wasn't being followed. Soon, he was facing an old apartment building. He circled it until he found a balcony that stuck out towards the outside. He could see the shadows of seals around it. He knew this was the place he was looking for. From his pocket, he pulled out a small brick and got ready to throw.

_Shadow Possession Jutsu!_

The man suddenly was unable to move. He tried to force himself, but his efforts were pointless. He got scared when his hand dropped the brick he was holding by itself. Then, someone landed right in front of him.

"You're not allowed to be here." Ino declared to the man. "If you try to disturb Naruto, we're gonna have to take you in, understood?"

The man was soon able to move again. By then, Shikamaru had joined his teammate.

"What?!" The man asked furiously. "You mean the Hokage would rather protect that freak rather than the people of the village?!"

"Deal with it. He's as much a citizen as you are." Shikamaru said. "If you try to break in, you're only going to be making things worse."

"How is he like any of us? How is that freak allowed to stay here when it could kill us all?"

"That _person_ just happens to be a friend of ours." Ino was starting to lose her cool. "He has the right to be treated like any of you."

"OK, you know what? You ninjas can go fuck yourselves." He said pointing at their faces. "I'll be dead before I decide to live with him around here. You and that guy can go to hell." The man left angrily.

"What an ass." Ino scoffed.

"This is so painful." Shikamaru groaned. "How the hell did I end up on the late night shift?"

"If you're going to be complaining all night, I'm gonna tell Lady Tsunade you fell asleep." Ino complained. She jumped to a nearby rooftop and returned to her post, taking guard behind the apartment building, watching Naruto's window. Shikamaru went back to his post at the front.

"I'm just saying that if his apartment is already protected with those special tags, then why do we need to keep guard outside? And it's not like he will actually walk out the door. People actually want him dead." He talked into his headset.

"Will it kill you to show a little empathy?" Ino nagged into his earpiece. "Just imagine how poor Naruto is feeling right now. He must be alone and depressed. Somebody needs to go talk to him once in a while so he won't feel so lonely. If you ask me, I think Lady Tsunade really went- Hey, are you even listening to me?!"

"Sorry, what was that?"

Ino sighed with frustration.

"Just kidding. I am listening."

"You're hilarious." Ino remarked sarcastically.

Shikamaru lay down by the edge of the rooftop, observing the night sky, lit up by dozens of stars. The moon was large and its glow looked blue. The scene was enough to entrance people with its exuberant splendor. It was almost hypnotizing.

"That Naruto never has it easy, doesn't he?" He asked.

"I know. I hope this doesn't sound too selfish but living a life like his would be painful."

"Yeah, that did sound kinda selfish."

"Shut up." She answered a bit annoyed. "Anyway, I wish could apologize to Naruto."

"Apologize for what?"

"Well, you should to. And everyone else. It's not fair that he has to go through all these problems while feeling like nobody cares about him. It's just that ever since we were still students at the Ninja Academy, everyone would give him a hard time. Yet, he still fought for the people who hated him, trying to win their acceptance. It sure is hard when you try to do your best and people don't care."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Hey, have you seen Hinata recently?"

"Now that you mention it, I haven't. I've been wondering what she's going to do now that Naruto turned into the Nine-Tails and attacked her father."

"He'll probably think of getting a restraining order against Naruto so epically big, he'll have to move to a different continent for him to be at a safe distance from Hinata. If not him, Neji will."

"Why do you even make jokes about that?"

"Because I'm annoyed and I want to go to bed."

"You idiot, don't you see? Hinata is as big of a victim as Naruto. For all we know, she could now be part of the people that want Naruto dead. Her feelings for him could've been shattered as of now." She sighed exasperatedly. "I feel so helpless. I want to do something to help her, but I don't know what. I just can't let her give up on him after such a long time."

"Well, have you tried looking for her?"

"Of course. I've been to all her usual places. I've tried asking her squad, but they all said they have no idea."

"That'sweird, but then again, Hinata has never been one to be angry."

Ino sighed again. "Do you think we should've told him about her feelings before all this?"

"I don't think so. If we did, things would've gone bad for Hinata. Naruto knowing about it through someone else would be too much for her."

"Well, that's sounds OK and all, but Naruto is still completely clueless about it."

"I know, but sometimes one needs to find out things for themselves. It makes things work out better in the end and gives them a richer meaning. Naruto has to grow up someday, and when he does, he'll figure it out."

"Well, who knows when that time will come. I mean, when he does, it might be too late."

"What'd you mean?"

"I don't know. I'm just thinking that things can change real quickly when you least expect it."

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. It felt like all the tension and negative atmosphere that had fallen over the village was starting to dissipate, even if it was for only a moment. Shikamaru was almost entranced by the small bright dots in the sky as his mind trailed off while Ino tried to stay vigilant.

"You know what I just realized? How could've Lord Hyuga discovered that Naruto was with Hinata just like that? Do you think somebody told him?"

Ino didn't answer.

"Ino?"

"Shhhh." She shushed through her headset. "Someone's coming."

Tsunade was walking towards the building, looking deadly nervous. She constantly looked around. With both hands, she was holding a medical kit. Her hands were shaking intermittently. She let go of the kit with one hand and used it to fix her hair behind her ears. She peaked through the corners to look for anyone who might be around.

"Hey, Lady Tsunade!" She was startled for a moment by the incoming shout from behind her. She turned to see Shikamaru.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything, but how long is this shift anyway?"

"Idiot, stop complaining!" Ino stepped in beside him. "Remember, we're doing this for everyone, especially Naruto."

"D-Don't worry." Tsunade answered. "I'll send your replacements soon. I need to speak with Naruto for a moment."

"OK, you're the boss." Shikamaru yawned. He lay down once again.

"Those replacements better get soon 'cause you're so not the right person for this shift." Ino

had made her way to Shikamaru and was leaning so he could see her face.

"Well, what do you do to stay awake so late at night?"

"I could stay awake all night if I had to. Ninjas have to be alert at all times when they're on duty. If you want to improve yourself, you better learn to be like that."

"If _you_ want to improve yourself, then go back to your post."

"Don't get smart with me."

"Look, if I need your help, I'll call you, OK?"

"Damn, you're impossible."

"Well excuse me, princess." He mocked. With that, Ino went back to watch the back of the building. Both Chunin hadn't realized Tsunade was already at Naruto's door.

For a moment, Tsunade took her time observing the door and the many tags it was covered with. She gently knocked on the door and waited for an answer.

"Who is it?" Naruto's voice came from the inside. The sound of running water could be heard.

"Naruto, may I come in?"

"Hang on." He answered. Tsunade heard his steps from the inside as he got closer. She heard how he removed the locks and then stepped back.

"OK, it's open."

Tsunade twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. The only light inside Naruto's room came from the bathroom, which had its door closed. She could make out the moist footprints he had left on the wooden floor as he went from and to the bathroom to open up. She could also see his apartment was messy. There were food wrappings all over the floor and a table in the kitchen, his sheets were bundled and tossed around his bed, and some of his clothes were lying around as well. She walked around for a while looking at what were her surroundings. She felt her feet bumped into something fragile. She looked down and found a flute. She picked it up to take a better look. She realized it was an ocarina. It had a mark across it, indicating that it had been broken, but put back together. In a small table by Naruto's bed, there was a set of checkers, a hacky-sack, some kunais, and a bunch of papers thrown around it. The chips were scattered around the board and it looked like there had been a game in progress. The tips of the kunais were chalky. She looked at the wall the table was against and saw two holes in it near the ceiling. She made a look of interest at what she thought he could've been doing. On the corner of the room, she was surprised to see a guitar. The color looked somewhat run-down, but it was still good quality. The room quickly became lit when Naruto stepped out of the bathroom only wearing his boxers, rubbing his hair with a towel. He shook his head, making his hair swirl around, spraying small drops of water around him. He wasn't wearing his headband, which made his hair drop to his forehead.

"So, Grandma," he said while throwing the towel over his shoulder, "come to see if your people are keeping me comfortable?"

"Ummm…why are you showering so late at night?" Tsunade sounded uncomfortable.

"I couldn't sleep, so I had a little workout."

"N-Naruto, get dressed." Tsunade stammered. She looked away while she talked.

"I thought you were a doctor."

"There's no time to explain, we have to-" she gasped when Naruto stepped closer, standing very close to her face. Tunade went completely rigid and felt her face burning. She dropped the kit she was holding. It landed on the floor with a loud thud.

"Are you blushing?!" Naruto interrogated. A puff of white smoke suddenly formed around the Hokage. Naruto backed away with a yelp. The smoke made him cough and slightly blinded him. He rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. When the smoke settled, someone else was standing in Tsunade's place. Naruto was shocked to see her, of all people, coming to visit him. Her entire face was a mixture of different shades of red and her eyes were suggesting she was about to faint.

"Hiinata!" Naruto rushed behind her to keep her from falling. When the girl realized this, she snapped back to herself. She looked up to see a shirtless Naruto holding her by her shoulders. She shrieked and backed against the wall; her face was still bright red. She tried to breathe normally, but she couldn't control her uneven rhythm. She looked at Naruto with a mixture of alarm and embarrassment.

"What are you-" He looked down to himself when he realized he wasn't wearing a shirt or pants. Now, he also looked ashamed with lit up cheeks. He chuckled nervously with a goofy smile.

"C-Could you…excuse me for a minute?" He dashed over to his closet and opened the door. He pulled out a black t-shirt, the type he would wear under his regular ninja gear, and a pair of pants. Now that he was better clothed, he returned to where Hinata was standing. Before that, he switched on the lights to the entire room.

"OK…" He said with a gesticulation of his arms. "Hinata…what are you doing here?" He sounded with more surprise than what Hinata would have expected. She was still too nervous to answer. All she could do was point at the kit she was carrying earlier while trying to force the appropriate words out of her mouth. Naruto picked it up. Before opening it, he noticed it smelled nice. Inside, there were several rice balls with small chinks of meat embedded in them, each of them wrapped around a leaf. Naruto's mouth couldn't help but to water at the succulent sight.

"For me?" He asked Hinata while pointing at himself. She only nodded. The color on her face was starting to diminish. She played with her fingers as usual. Naruto looked at the food and quickly looked back at Hinata several times, trying to understand the situation. He even looked somewhat doubtful about whether he should eat or not. In the end, his appetite won and dug into the small kit. Hinata was genuinely pleased to see Naruto downing into the food she made just for him. Naruto paused when he realized that he was pigging out in front of her.

"Sorry." He chuckled nervously again. "It's just that hospital food sucks."

Hinata let out a giggle.

"But seriously…" Hinata stopped her giggling. "…why did you come here?"

The Kunoichi tried to explain herself, but she was still struggling to speak.

"I know you didn't come in here disguised as Grandma Tsunade just to bring me some food. Come on, what's the catch?"

"I was… I just, um… I thought you…" She tried not to make eye contact with him.

"You mean…you're not mad at me?" Naruto asked.

"What?" Hinata asked, looking very questionable.

Naruto sighed, almost frustrated. He dropped the empty kit to the floor. "Hinata…" he spoke, moving his arms like before, "… I lost control of Kyuubi, I almost killed your dad, and I tried to kill other ninjas. Why are you not mad at me?!"

"Naruto… I-" She was deeply confused by his question.

"Don't you think I deserve it?! Don't you think I'm weak?!" He started raising his voice. Hinata

was frightened by it.

"Haven't you seen what the people have been doing? They want me dead! The whole town is against me! They don't see me as a human being anymore. I'm a monster in their eyes! It all has gone full circle from the beginning! They hate me and they always will! But why not you?! Why can't you be like them?! Why do you always have to be so nice?! It's not right for a ninja!"

Hinata looked petrified. Looking into Naruto's angry stare made her disbelief that was really him. She felt powerless over him. She felt tears were starting to form in her eyes. Naruto saw this and his fury vanished instantly. Ashamed, he lowered his head and held it with both hands. He turned around and sat on his bed. He took deep breaths before talking.

"Hinata, I'm sorry. It's just that… I'm so frustrated with myself. I've always told myself that I was strong. I've always thought that I could tackle any problem I could encounter. But now, I'm not so sure. I feel weak."

"Naruto…" Hinata sat next to him in his bed.

"My anger made me lose control. I let it take over me, and so, Kyuubi did as well. Now that the people of the village know that I attacked the leader of the Hyugas and that I tried to kill other ninjas, they all are afraid that I might do the same to them. It's just like it was before. They don't care about who I am, they only care about the demon inside me. From now on, I won't ever use that power again. I'm better off not being a ninja."

"Please, don't talk like that." Hinata intervened. "I don't think you're weak. I think those people are ignorant."

Naruto turned to Hinata, looking right into her eyes of lavender.

"You shouldn't be afraid of those people. You should pity them. You want to know why?"

Naruto didn't answer.

"Because those people don't want to understand what they see beyond their own eyes. They can't comprehend all the pain you have to go through every day of your life. They don't know what's it like to be like you, struggling to keep that demon in its place. What nobody gets is that you're dealing with a power that surpasses humans. I'm not saying that you're weak, it's just that Kyuubi has always been a part of you, even if it's very unfamiliar to you. You have to learn a way for you to control it."

"That does sound like I'm weak." Naruto said, depressed. Hinata looked around for a moment.

"No, Naruto." She pulled herself together again. "If there is one thing you are not is weak. You have proven yourself many times before and I believe you can do it again. I know things don't look so well right now, but I'm sure you can get up again if you really try. You have never given up on anything and you shouldn't start now, not when the village needs people like you more than ever"

"But, what's the point when the people you try to defend hate you?" He still sounded down. Hinata paused to think of what should she answer.

"You want to know what I think? Those people think that Kyuubi is a curse on you and the entire village, but I think it's a blessing."

"A blessing?"

"Well, it all depends on the way you use it. In the past, you have used the power of Kyuubi for good reasons, like when you fought Neji or tried to bring back Sasuke. Now that the seal inside of you is weakening, you're losing control. If you learn to control it, Kyuubi can become your companion. When you march into battle, you and he can fight together. I don't think one should be in control of the other. Maybe, you could find a way to be as one."

"Yeah, I don't think he'd like that very much. If I don't know how to control it, he might just take over for good."

"Well, La-" She was starting to remember what Tsunade had told her and the other ninjas before, about what would happen if the seal fully broke; how both he and the demon would die instantly. She decided not to bring more grief to Naruto and keep that comment to herself.

"What is it?"

"Oh, never mind that. But Naruto, please. You shouldn't think like you are doing now. I know you can do it. I believe you can become stronger. Don't let those people get to you. All that matters is what you think. Don't ever let anyone tell you what you can't do. If you want to do something, then do it. You have to live for what you want."

Naruto looked at Hinata again. This time, he was at peace and more relaxed. All the tension building up inside him was vanishing. Hinata could tell by just looking at him. She was surprised when he gave her a smile.

"You have a knack for giving good advice, you know that?" Naruto said with slight enthusiasm. "Which is impressive coming from you, Hinata."

"W-what's wrong with me?" she looked a bit embarrassed again.

"Nothing, it's just that for someone of few words, you really have a way with them."

"Thanks." She was blushing again, only for a different reason.

"No, thank _you_." He said, still smiling. The feeling of warmth inside of her increased.

"Sorry about the mess, by the way." Naruto said. "I really haven't cared about it since the lockdown began."

"It's OK. I don't mind." Hinata looked around, observing the mess. "You must get bored being all alone in here."

"Well, I try to keep myself busy. See that board over there? Shikamaru gave it to me. He said I could try challenging myself. Well actually, a shadow clone. It's strange, but we always end in a tie."

"Really?" Hinata giggled again. "May I ask what are those holes in the wall?"

"Most of the time, I've been working out."

When he said this, Hinata couldn't help but remember when she was being held from behind by Naruto, feeling his muscular arms and pectorals.

"I tried pinning some kunais against the wall and then doing some pull-ups. It worked better than I thought."

"I never thought that. By the way, I didn't know you could play." She turned towards the guitar on the corner.

"Oh, that? Well, not really. Ever since I was this homeless guy playing on the street, I thought I'd be cool if I could learn to play, but I don't think I'm much of a songwriter. So far, I've only tried improvising. I've also learnt some tricks."

"Tricks?"

"Yeah you know, new sounds and notes and such. Here, let me show you."

"Yes, please." Hinata felt a little excited. Naruto got up and picked up the guitar. From the table, he spread the sheets of paper around to find a guitar pick. He sat next to her.

"Alright, check this out." He grabbed the neck with his left hand and held the pick near the strings with his right. He strummed the guitar once and quickly shifted his hand from the bottom of the neck to the top and back again. It produced a whining sound that decreased its pitch as his hand went up and increased as it lowered.

"Wow. What do you call that?" Hinata said with interest.

"I haven't given it a name yet. What do you think?"

"It's impressive."

"Thanks. Now, how about this?" He strummed again. This time, with his left fingers, he repeatedly wobbled the string he strummed to produce a sound that felt like it was vibrating.

"How's that?"

Hinata applauded that trick.

"Thank you." Now, Naruto strummed again, only this time with more strength and emphasis, creating a loud, prolonged note. He changed its sound by changing the position of his left hand on the strings.

"How did you do that?" Hinata asked, bewildered by his prowess.

"I don't know, but I like it."

"Is there anything else?"

"Well, I have this last one. See what happens when I play with a little chakra."

Naruto gathered chakra at his fingertips. When he played, it made a heavy, powerful sound that sounded like a current was going through the strings. Hinata was a bit startled because of the unexpected occurrence.

"Sorry about that." Naruto apologized.

"Don't worry. It was still…great." She said, showing encouragement to her friend.

"Well, that's about it. I'm still working on some new stuff."

"Thank you for showing me. You have a lot of potential."

"You think so?"

"Hmm-hmm." She nodded.

"I hope you don't mind, but I can help you clean up if you want." Hinata said after Naruto had gotten up.

"Are you sure? I don't want this to be a bother to you."

"Not at all. I would be glad to help you."

"OK, suit yourself." He walked towards the corner to put the guitar in place again.

Hinata got up as well and headed for the small table. She picked up the battered looking ocarina on the floor.

"You play this too?"

"No, that's just something that a friend of mine gave to me once. I only keep it in memory of him"

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"Who did it belong to?"

"I never knew his real name, but I called him Menma. When I found him, he had lost his memory. He couldn't remember anything about his past. Turns out he was helping a group of bandits that were threatening a village in the uh- well, I can't remember where exactly. I never believed that because he was such a nice guy. When I brought him here, all he did was help the villagers. When we got to that village his group had attacked, he helped me set up a wall around it to protect it. Unfortunately, he sacrificed himself to save the very town that hated him because of those bandits from a flood."

"How did he die?"

"There was a mine full of explosive tags near the town. If we blew it up, the town would be safe from the dam that had just cracked. Before I could do anything, he knocked me out and got himself blown up."

"Wow, that was very brave."

"Yeah. He was a lot like you. I'm sure you would've like to meet him."

"If you say so." She placed the ocarina on the table and started picking up some of the papers that were scattered across it.

"Wait, wait, don't-!" Naruto tried to stop her, but Hinata had already seen what was in those papers. Her eyes widened in surprise as she studied the drawings in them. He had made several rough sketches of the Hokage mansion. With arrows, he detailed the different entrances and windows it had. He had circulated and crossed out some of them. He had also drawn what resembled ninjas at the front doors. On another paper, he had drawn the inside of the building. He had detailed the corridors, including the access to Tsunade's office. With another arrow, he had marked a passageway that went beyond the office, followed by a big question mark. In other papers, he had sketched a series of corridors that lead to different rooms. Some of them had question marks as well. There weren't as many details as in other papers.

"Naruto, what is all this?" Hinata asked perplexed.

"I, uh-" He froze, not knowing how to explain what Hinata had seen. "That's just a, uh-…well…I want to, uh-" He started trailing off from there.

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone." Hinata put the papers down. For a moment, they only stared at each other, as they had done a few times before. Naruto could see from her eyes that she was being honest.

"OK, here we go." He sighed and sat back on his bed again. "You know how I told you how I thought that Pervy Sage and Kakashi-Sensei were conspiring against me?"

"Uh-huh." Hinata agreed. She sat by his side again.

"Well, I figured they would never tell me the answers about my past, so I have been planning to get them myself."

Hinata was focusing all her attention on what he was saying.

"I have dedicated some time here to plan a break-in on the Hokage's mansion, but so far, I've only had dead-ends. First of all, the most effective way of getting in would be through the front door, at least that's what I think. This way, I avoid having to break in through a vent or a window. Now, there are two guards watching the door at night. I could easily fool them by transforming into Grandma Tsunade, but I wouldn't know what to do from there. Also, in the event that they had seen her walk in before I did would mess-up the entire plan, so I would have to find another way in. Anyway, I know there is a room where they keep the files of all the citizens of the village. You know, their birth certificate, registration, that kind of stuff. If I got in there, I could find my file and find the names of my parents and then look them up. The problem is that I don't know where it is. And it would look very stupid if Grandma Tsunade asked the guards where it is. Even if I could figure it out by myself, I'm sure you need a password to get in that room and another one to access the files."

"Nobody knows about this, right?"

"Right. I thought it would be best if I didn't involve anyone else so they wouldn't get in trouble, which sucks because I thought I could use Shikamaru's Shadow Possession or Ino's mind control to help me, but like I said, if they get involved in this, they'll be in trouble as well."

"Well…I could help you."

"What?" Naruto was flabbergasted. "Are you kidding me?"

"Well…if I used my Byakugan, I could tell you where the room where the files are and I can find the passwords too."

"Hinata, you're in enough trouble already." Hinata was a bit taken by his direct tone of voice. "I'm sorry, but neither you nor I afford to be involved with each other anymore. After what happened, the last thing people like Neji and Grandma Tsunade want to do is to be related to me in any way. Hell, it's already bad enough that you snuck in here posing as her. Just imagine what's gonna happen to you if they find out. Damn, I just know Neji will kill me himself."

"Naruto, it's nice to see that you care…" she was speaking with a tone similar to the one she had before. "…but if this is something so important to you, I want to be there for you. You said so yourself that you can't do this alone. I understand that you don't want anyone to have consequences for your actions anymore, but please, let me take this risk. I want to help you. I really do. Please." She put her palms in front of her, almost as if to beg him.

Naruto looked at her, but not directly. He gave the impression that he was thinking about her proposal. He turned to the door with the thought of the possibilities he had at his disposal. He scratched his head and exhaled. He pushed himself up while Hinata followed him with her eyes. He opened the door to his closet and pulled out his jacket. A smile of delight was drawn on Hinata's face.

"I have no idea how you do it, Hinata" He said as he zipped his jacket up and adjusted the collar. "I'm only gonna let you come on one condition."

The girl looked at him in doubt.

"I don't want you to put me before your family. You should be grateful for them and that they care about you. I want you to stay with them and never let them go. Besides, it's the only family you got. Deal?"

Hinata was wowed by what he was saying. She thought it was obvious that he would say such things about family, but it was even more surprising knowing he had never met his parents. She thought that made his thoughts stronger.

"Deal." She remarked as she got up.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Shikamaru felt a cold, wet feeling on his face that made him wake up. He got up with a shout and looked around confused. When his eyes were back in focus, he could see Ino standing in front of him with an empty metal bucket.

"Told you that you'll fall asleep."

"Was that really necessary?" Shikamaru asked sorely.

"Well, for starters, you took of your headset. How am I supposed to know what you're doing if I can't hear you?"

"Well, you could've just come here and talked."

"That's not how it's supposed to work!"

The discussion was interrupted by the sound of an opening door. Both chunnin looked below to see Lady Tsunade stepping out with Naruto from the apartment. The Hokage closed the door shut when Naruto stepped out and they both headed down the building stairs.

"What do you think happened now?" Ino asked Shikamaru. Her tone of voice was concerned again.

"Who knows?"

"Should we ask?"

"It's best if we don't. We'll probably figure it out later, anyway."

"Guess you're right."

"Although…" Shikamaru didn't look sleepy anymore. He sat on the rooftop and rested his chin on his fist. He looked like he was about to go into deep thought.

"Although what?"

"Tsunade seemed a bit off when she was going in. This could be more serious than what we think."

Ino returned to her post, not losing track of the pair, who were now on their way to the Hokage mansion. From the corner of her eye, a transformed Hinata looked in the direction where Ino and Shikamaru were keeping watch.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"They didn't ask us anything about what I'm supposed to be doing." Hinata answered with Tsunade's voice. "Well, Lady Tsunade anyway."

"Don't worry. Let's just keep going. Relax." Naruto tried to comfort her. Just then, a loud clattering came from a nearby alley. Disturbed, both of them turned to see.

"What was that?" Naruto asked.

"I better check it out. Could be someone." Hinata volunteered. She silently made her way to the alley and peaked around the corner. There were several trash cans piled up with dark bags stacked beside them. There were no signs of life in that imminent darkness.

_Byakugan!_

To be sure, she triggered her Byakugan to take a better look. She searched the area up and down, but the only thing she could see was a stray cat that had backed up into the trash cans.

"It was just a cat." Her Byakugan dissipated. "Let's get going." She regrouped with Naruto and they were both back on their way, unaware that from the rooftops above, they were being followed. The Kunoichi was watching them with restless eyes. She clutched her fists, causing her gloves to squeak softly. Her short hair was a mess and covering much of her face. She gulped as she feared for the worst.

Naruto and Hinata were soon in view of the guards standing in front of the doors into the Hokage's manor. Hinata grew nervous on the inside, but she took a deep breath to calm down.

"Lady Tsunade," the guards were easily fooled by Hinata's transformation. "I see you came back earlier than expected."

"Well, yes." She answered, unsure of what he could mean. "Anyway, I need to take Naruto to my office, so could you open up for us?"

"Of course." answered the second guard. After a short series of hand signs, the sound of the door unlocking followed. The guard pushed it open and showed both ninja in. One of the guards gave them a suspicious stare, one brought up because of their imminent silence as they walked in. They shut the door closed when they stepped in. Naruto and Hinata found themselves in a dark corridor. The only light was coming from outside. Through the windows, the moonlight dimly illuminated the place. They both proceeded towards a staircase at the bottom of the hall.

Hinata released her transformation jutsu, returning to her former self.

"Did you see how that guard was looking at us?" Naruto asked her.

"I know." She answered. "Do you think he could suspect?"

"I dunno. Maybe we should've said something before walking in, don't you think?"

"Well, I thought that I shouldn't say anything because Lady Tsunade is usually in a bad mood and right now she should be feeling worse than usual."

"I know, but still…" He gave the door behind them a long look.

"Well, we shouldn't waste any more time. Where is the room where they keep all the files?" Naruto questioned Hinata.

"I'm on it." She said as she drew her hands together and assembled a hand signal.

_Byakugan!_

Hinata could see everything around her, whether it was in the dark or light. She could see many rooms towering over where they were, including the Hokage's office. She could also see what she thought could be Tsunade's bedroom. It was empty, save for Ton-Ton, who was sleeping in a corner. She looked down from where they were standing. The basement had more rooms than what she had thought at first. Several hallways intertwined with one another as if it was a small maze. One of the rooms was windowless and was full to the brim with file cabinets, each with what looked like a seal.

"Found it. This way." Both ninjas descended the stairs. The light from the hall was vanishing the further they went down.

"Stay close, Naruto." Hinata whispered, Naruto grunted in agreement. Unlike Hinata, he felt he was completely overcome by the darkness, not being able to look where he was going, at least that's what he was thinking at first. Hinata's footprints sounded loud and clear in his ears. He could make out her silhouette and that of the incoming doors and hallways up ahead. The weirdest thing was that a smell of sweet flowers was in the air, similar to the perfume she had been wearing the last time he was at her house. At this point, Naruto didn't need an explanation to know what was going on.

"Here it is." Hinata had halted. Naruto almost bumped into her from the sudden stop.

"OK, now how do we get inside?"

"Let me take a look…" Hinata, with her Byakugan still active, observed the door's lock. She could see the seal that was keeping it shut.

"I see." She said.

"What's that?" Naruto asked.

"With my Byakugan, I can see the symbols that make up the seal. To release it, all I have to do is do the right combination of hand signals so we can get in. Normally, decoders need a special jutsu to find out what is in a sealed document. These documents often require several minutes to fully break into, especially those of the highest importance. But since there is no known way to counter the Byakugan, I can do it in just seconds."

"Well, why wouldn't there be more decoders from the Hyuga family?"

"I'm not really sure. Maybe because my clan has always thought that our abilities are better suited for combat."

"Awesome." Naruto said. He saw with great impression how Hinata executed the complicated hand signals as some of them he had never seen.

"Release!" Hinata exclaimed. The symbol radiated weakly and quickly vanished. The door unlocked and they both entered.

"Whoa…" The room was much bigger than Naruto had thought. Hundreds of cabinets were stacked on top of one another all around the room. The room was divided into several floors, each one holding dozens of the metal cabinets. His eyes spun as he got dizzy from looking at them all.

"How are we going to find my file?" He asked, looking exhausted already.

"You can see them all?" The girl was a bit surprised at how he could see clearly when it was so dark.

"Well, yeah. I uh,…it's not _that_ dark. I can see pretty well." That was the best excuse he could think of at the moment so he wouldn't have to tell her it was Kyuubi's influence over his.

"Let's not worry about that and let's find my file." Naruto changed the subject. "How do we find mine?"

"Some of these must have all of the villager's personal information." Hinata's Byakugan helped her look inside the cabinets. They contained all kinds of information, including village blueprints, ANBU records, BINGO book files, and all manner of old scrolls, probably containing Konoha's previous history.

"There." She pointed at the top left of the room and jumped towards there. Naruto followed right behind her. They landed in front of a cabinet with the letters R-W.

"Your file must be here." She quickly searched the seal and made the required hand signs. Again, Naruto was amazed by their complexity.

"Release!" Hinata exclaimed again. The cabinet slowly opened itself before the pair. An unintelligible number of yellow cardboard folders were lined up inside, each with a small name tag pasted on it.

"Let's see…" With her fingers, she fiddled the folders on the "U" section of the cabinet. At the very end of it was the folder with his name.

"Here it is. It's your folder."

"What about my family?"

"There's only one file with the name "Uzumaki" in it." She said surprised.

"What?!" Naruto shouted as a shock of fear rattled his head.

"I'm sorry." Said Hinata, feeling dejected as well.

"OK, never mind that. Let's see me."

"Right." Hinata opened the folder. Right at the beginning was Naruto's registration as a Genin. His old twelve year old picture was there. This made her feel a bit sad because she remembered that Naruto was the only one from their age group who was still below Chunin class.

"What do you got?" Naruto asked anxiously.

"Let me look for your civil registration." Hinata continued examining the documents in the folder. The one she was looking for was on a light blue sheet of paper. It featured a picture of a young Naruto and a more current one. She went through all his personal information including date of birth, eye color, hair color, sex, address in Konoha, ranking, mission status, and more until she got to the section of his known relatives. She gasped at the sight of it.

"What happened?" Naruto was nervously sweating, anticipating the great truth of his family.

"Naruto…it's blank."

"What? What do you mean blank?" He was confused and perplexed.

"There's nothing in here about your family. I'm looking right at your known relatives section and it's completely blank."

"What? Let me see that!" He aggressively took the paper from Hinata's hands. He looked at it closely to make out the writing more clearly. Despite the fact that he could see through the darkness, he still had to struggle to read. It was just as Hinata had said. There were no names in that section. The feeling of defeat overcame him very abruptly. He dropped to his knees. The folder slipped from his hands and fell. He could not believe what was happening.

"Naruto…" Hinata was starting to feel hopeless.

"THOSE BASTARDS!" He slammed his fists against the floor, making the entire room shake. He breathed strongly, panting. He was ultimately furious. The same blood-drunk feeling from before was returning. His nails turned into small claws that started digging into the stone floor.

"Naruto." The sound of Hinata's voice almost serenaded him. He turned to see her, who was clutching her heart, shaking. This scene made him take control of himself.

"Please…don't be angry." She didn't look like she was going to cry, but her face did show serious concern over him. It was certain that she wasn't afraid of him, but of what would happen to him.

When Naruto was calm again, he got up and placed his file inside the cabinet again.

"What do we do now?" Hinata asked sadly.

"Well, I could always go back to the old plan and find a way to get answers from Pervy Sage and Kakashi-Sensei. There's gotta be a way to loosen their tongues."

"Do you have a plan?"

"Not yet, but trust me, this will be the last time they get the drop on us. They will no longer be ahead of us."

"Us?" Hinata asked. She didn't expect him to use that word.

"Well, you did say that you wanted to help me." Naruto said, grinning at her. Hinata was overwhelmed with joy.

"Come on, we better get out of here." Naruto led the way out of the room.

"Just you wait, we'll show 'em." Naruto spoke as they left. "Those two think they're so smart. I'll get those answers and I'll make them pay for what they did. They think they can wipe my parents out of existence? Well now, it's personal."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sakura observed the outside of the Hokage's building from the top of a tree several blocks away. She could see the guards talking among themselves. There were no lights coming from the inside. There was no way for her to know what was happening in there. She believed in Naruto and Hinata, but she couldn't shake the feeling that her friends wouldn't make it out unnoticed.

"Sakura?" A voice coming from below startled her. Thankfully, it was a familiar voice. The pink haired girl looked down. Standing in the shadow of the tree was TenTen. She jumped to join her at the top.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"I, uh…" Sakura looked at her friend with grief. Her eyes wandered to her side as she thought of how to explain herself.

"You're following them, aren't you?"

Sakura looked back at TenTen with disbelief. That was more than enough to answer TenTen's question.

"Yeah, me too." TenTen said.

"It's just that…" Sakura talked with strain. "…I haven't seen Hinata in a while so I got worried. I was looking for her and when I found her, I caught her transforming into Lady Tsunade. I just knew she was going to try to visit Naruto."

"Did she see you?"

"I don't think so."

"How long is it since they've stepped inside?"

"How do you know they're in there?"

"Who do you think told Hinata to go visit Naruto?"

"Wait, you talked her into this?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"It's not like that exactly. She came to me for advice and I told her that it was all up to what she wanted to do. I told her that if she wanted to take the risk, then by all means go for it."

"Did she tell you about, you know, how she feels?"

"She didn't say the exact words about her feelings, but it was more than obvious. I guess that as long as she doesn't say she loves him, she's fine."

"Do you know what they're doing in there?"

"How am I supposed to know? The plan was only to visit Naruto, not break into the Hokage mansion. This is just crazy! If they get caught, I'm gonna have to get in there and save them."

"Wouldn't you get in as much trouble as they would be?"

"Don't worry. I can take out the guards before they even notice. They'll probably have all their attention on the intruders that they won't realize I'm sneaking up behind them."

"Well, why are you arriving just now?"

"I had to keep Neji busy or else he was going to find out."

"Good point. But, how did you find out they were here if you weren't with Hinata?"

"I dropped by Naruto's house. Ino and Shikamaru were on guard duty. They said Tsunade had taken Naruto to the manor, so I had to follow them."

The weak sound of footsteps coming from below made both girls grow silent. They saw a dark figure, walking slowly towards the manor. The person groaned and stumbled in its steps; it looked like it was about to lose its balance at any moment. They both gasped and looked stupefied at this person as the guards quickly approached it.

"Now, they're in for it." TenTen stated.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Naruto and Hinata continued talking as they walked the dark corridors on their way back.

"I'm sorry that this was all a waste, Naruto."

"Ahh, don't worry about it." The blonde ninja threw his arms behind his head. "I mean, I did get out of my apartment, even if it was for just one night. Plus, I got to see someone that wasn't Grandma Tsunade or one of the Jonin she keeps sending with food. It was a nice change of pace."

Hinata giggled quietly with a little red on her cheeks.

"It's amazing that Master Jiraiya and Kakashi-Sensei would go this far. They were really thinking ahead of us the whole time."

"Yeah right, as if they would think they'd fool me. I mean come on, wouldn't it be a bit weird if I was the only Uzumaki on this village ever?"

"I guess." Hinata answered, who was looking like her traditional nervous self. Naruto looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Come on, Hinata. You gotta loosen up a bit."

"Huh?" Hinata asked a bit puzzled.

"You know, be more easy-going. You're always looking so timid and unsure of yourself. You have to relax a little more. I mean, I don't mind your usual self, but once in a while, you should just be more like…well, me."

"You?"

"What I mean is don't care about what people think. Just do what you want to do and don't let what other people think put you down. That's why I am so in-your-face all the time. Well, most of the time since everything that has happened, but you get the point."

"Uh-, I don't know. I don't think I have it in me."

"Hmm…" Naruto paused to think. "Well, maybe that's too much. How about the way you walk?"

"What's wrong with it?" Hinata asked a bit embarrassed. She was a bit ashamed from the thought of criticism coming from him, even if it was supposed to be encouragement.

"Sometimes you look like you're walking with your head down. How about you bring it up like this?" He lifted his chin and drew his chest out with an inhale. He exhaled and assumed a more relaxed position. His head was now in a more normal angle.

"OK, now you."

Hinata still looked insecure.

"C'mon, there's no one here but us."

"OK." Hinata answered with a quivering voice. She started mimicking Naruto slowly. She felt uncomfortable when she brought out her chest, so she quickly exhaled. She was now walking with her sight straight forward. She started feeling glad about what she was doing when a sense of satisfaction filled her on the inside, which was reflected on her face.

"How does it feel?" Naruto asked.

"It feels great." Hinata affirmed with security.

"Told ya."

"Thank you. It's so weird how something so little can make you feel like this." Hinata said. Inside her head, she was thinking that the way she was feeling was all because she felt that she and Naruto were bonding again.

Both ninjas soon reached the staircase leading upstairs. When they had ascended, they heard a loud commotion coming from outside the front door. The guards were talking among themselves loudly.

"Oh, crap. Are we blown?" Naruto asked Hinata. The Kunoichi prepared the same hand sign from before.

_Byakugan!_

The veins around her head started swelling and her eyes went white again. She could see from behind the door both guards. There was a woman standing in front of them. One of the guards pointed to his left and the other followed in that direction. The one that stayed made a series of hand signs while facing the door. Hinata's face was drawn with fright.

"It's Lady Tsunade! The guards are coming!"

"WHAT?!" Naruto was in shock as well.

"One of them is heading for the back door…" She followed the guard with her Byakugan, who was dashing his way around towards the door at the back end of the manor. "…and the other is coming this way!"

"Damn it! What do we do?!" Naruto looked around as if to try to find a solution.

"We better run!"

"Run where?"

"To somewhere we can hide. Follow me!" Hinata made a right at the end of the hall with Naruto in hot pursuit.

"There's a small broom closet on the second floor. If we can create a distraction, we can hide in there."

"Leave that to me!" Naruto shouted. He raised his hands up to his chest and performed a sign.

_Shadow Clone Jutsu!_

From a cloud of white smoke popped out two clones; one was a Naruto clone, the other was Hinata.

"Wow." Hinata remarked at his display of mixing a Transformation with a Shadow Clone so quickly. Both the clones and the real ninja continued running until they found another staircase leading upwards. Hinata's Byakugan was still observing the guards, one was just approaching the stairs while the other had already gone inside through the back door. Out of nowhere, two more people had entered the door and quickly followed the other guard.

"Now there are four of them and they're getting closer!"

"How much further to this closet?!"

"If we make another right here, it should be the second door to our right-hand side."

"When we get there, you guys keep running and try to get out of here without getting caught. If you do, cancel the jutsu, OK?" Naruto asked the clones.

"Right!" Both clones agreed.

Just as Hinata had said, the closet was to their right. In a swift movement, the real Naruto and Hinata entered while the fakes continued running. The door was slammed shut. It was dark inside safe for the crack underneath the door. They both waited as the sounds of the clones' footsteps grew silent while another pair grew louder. They both saw a shadow cross the door, following the fakes. He soon stopped as he was confronted by the second guard.

They both heard them talk and complain about the intruders that got away.

"Oh yeah, we got 'em good." Naruto whispered.

"Yeah." Hinata whispered back. Both their eyes went wide open when they realized their current situation. The distance between them was nonexistent. The closet was so small, Hinata had to lean against Naruto so both could fit in it. She was facing him, feeling his hard chest, while he was feeling her breasts. Their eyes traveled slowly to meet and they gave each other an uneasy look. They both went completely red and nervously sweated. This was followed by an awkward chuckle coming from Naruto. Hinata's eyes started quivering and getting cloudy. Naruto thought it was obvious what was gonna happen.

"Wait, no, no, no, no, no, no!" He loudly whispered. "Hinata!"

It was too late. The girl had lost consciousness and her head fell against him, resting on his shoulder.

"Hinata!" He whispered again while his temperature rose. Even if she had fainted, he couldn't help but feel a little turned on. This was all interrupted by the sound of blows landing and bodies collapsing outside. He heard both guards struggling, as if they were fighting someone. From what he could hear, they were defeated easily.

'Don't tell me.' Naruto thought. 'Did the clones come back?! I told them to run!'

He heard the sound of something being dragged across the floor. He assumed that the clones were now taking the bodies.

'What the hell are these guys doing?!' He reached around with his hand carefully to avoid bumping into Hinata's waist, trying to push the door open. He was freaked when the door wouldn't budge. He realized the door could only be opened from the outside, hence the lack of a doorknob. Outside, there was only silence now.

'Stupid door!' He angrily thought. 'Hinata! Hinata, wake up! We need to get out of here!' He tried to move to get her to wake up, but it was no use. She was deeply out of it. Naruto could hear her mumbling something unintelligible in her sleep.

'Damn it! Now what do I do?' He thought desperate for a solution. The silence from outside the closet was broken by the sound of footsteps coming towards him. He gulped; his sweat went cold. In horror, he heard the stepping getting closer as the fear of getting caught was intensifying. He felt the air in his lungs had been sucked out acutely. He tightened his grip and tried to hold his breath. He shut his eyes, not feeling ready to face the worst. He heard the steps stop dead in front of the door. He peaked one eye open to see the shadow coming from outside. He heard as the doorknob was being twisted open. He was engulfed in the person's shadow when the door was swung open. He knew he was a goner now. He waited one second, two seconds, three seconds. Nothing was happening.

"Whoops. Sorry, my bad." A certain familiar voice, only slurred, reached his ears. He opened his eyes to find Tsunade in a way he had never seen her before. A bungle of a smile was drawn on her lips, one of her eyes was closing and her hair was a disaster. Her green jacket was hanging from her left side, with the arm still in its corresponding sleeve. She was stumbling from one side to another and holding on to her balance difficultly.

"What the-?" Naruto asked.

"Look, I am so sorry." Tsunade said with a slur, followed by a quick movement of her arms. "For a moment I thought this was my house. W-Where am I?"

"Are you drunk?" Naruto asked.

"Hey, hey!" Tsunade gave him a mean look, still dragging her words. "Get off my case, kid!"

"Did you just call me kid?" He asked.

"Look, I know you're angry because I walked in on you and your girlfrie- Wow, she must've had some scare." Tsunade looked at Hinata, who was still out cold. "Hmm… she looks nice, kid." She said with a sense of interest. "You sure picked her well."

"Hey, she's not-!"

"She's not?!" Her drunken laughter echoed down the hallways around her. "Why you gold digger…" She patted Naruto's shoulder.

"I'm gonna be honest with you for a second. You _**are **_cute. Ladies must be bringing down your door, am I right? Too many girls, so little time."

"Ummm…" Even if it was just booze talking, Naruto felt pleased by Tsunade's inebriated thoughts. He was now blushing.

"Ahhhh, come on. Don't be shy."

"Look, I wish I could talk but right now, I have to get-"

"What? What's the problem?"

"No problem." He said as he tried to carry Hinata out of the closet. "It's just-"

"Lemme tell you about problems." She started. "There's this kid who kinda looks like you and uh…" She paused as she stretched out that last "uh" into a graon.

"That kid worries the shit outta me, OK? He's always getting in trouble and it's up to me to do something about it. Why can't the kid grow a pair and face his own problems himself once in a while?"

"Hey, why don't you just-!?" Naruto was losing it.

"Lady Tsunade!" Sakura and TenTen had appeared from one of the corridors.

"Sakura? Is that you?" Tsunade asked, still slurring.

"Ummm, hi." She nervously waved while smiling uncomfortingly. "Ummm, you see…" Neither of the girls knew what to say. They had not planned ahead for a situation like this.

"What is it?" She asked.

"We…" TenTen started, smiling just like Sakura. "…are here to take you home." She budged Sakura with her elbow.

"Uh, yeah. Don't you remember? You asked us to…finish your paperwork while you were out and then we have to go get you because you would be out drinking, right?" They both chuckled agitatedly.

"Uh…" Tsunade groaned again. Both girls scurried over and grabbed her by the arms.

"We should get going. Tomorrow's a busy day, remember?" Sakura said while dragging her out.

"H-Hey! Hey! Hey, girls! You know this guy?" He pointed towards Naruto, who was now out of the closet, holding Hinata with both arms around her shoulders. "You have to meet him! You are gonna love him!"

"That's great, but unfortunately, we have to get you home now." TenTen said. She quickly glanced backwards and signaled Naruto to get out with a quick movement of her head.

"Never change, my man! Hehehehe…young people." Tsunade said as the three women turned around and left him. Then, there was silence again. All the commotion and excitement from before seemed liked it never happened.

"There's no way my luck is this good." He said as he placed Hinata in his arms, holding her head with one hand and holding the back of her knees with the other, making her feet dangle in the air.

"She's a pretty fun drunk, though." He rapidly made his escape from the mansion.

The way back to Hinata's house wasn't long. There was no need to remain incognito anymore for Naruto. He made his way jumping across the rooftops of houses until he arrived at the Hyuga's district. Here's where he now proceeded with more caution. If somebody saw him carrying the heir to the main household like that, they would try to kill him right on the spot. It was easy to find Hinata's house, as its size stood out from the rest. He hadn't paid much attention on his first visit thanks to the rain, but he was still able to remember pieces of the path he took. He laid Hinata down by a lamp post and examined the building. He thought it would be best to look for the window to Hinata's room first before actually taking her there. He assumed his trademark hand sign.

_Shadow Clone Jutsu!_

A single clone appeared before him and started circling the building. The real Naruto stood there and waited, taking care of his Hinata. Her face was completely without expression. Her cheeks weren't burning red anymore. It still seemed like she was talking in her sleep, but it was only her lips that were slightly moving.

"Hinata…" Naruto whispered in her ear. "It's me. We're at your house right now. Come on, you gotta wake up. Hinata, are you there?" He rubbed his chin and looked upwards, thinking of a way to get her to wake up. The only idea that came to mind was giving her a hug so she could come back to her senses. Feeling troubled on the inside, he gave it a try. There was no result.

"Damn. She's out good."

In his mind, the scene of an open window a few feet above the ground appeared. It was located near a small garden. He realized that the clone had found the one he needed and canceled the jutsu. He picked up Hinata again in the same manner as before and made his way to her room's window. When he found it, he gathered chakra on his feet and climbed towards it. He carefully jumped inside to avoid making any noise. He looked around her room. It was tidy and it smelled nice. There was no sort of garbage or other objects scattered around. Beside Hinata's bed was a small table with a drawer. There was also a full-body mirror at the corner away from him. Beside it was a desk with several round boxes neatly arranged on top of it. He wasn't surprised that everything was in place. He tenderly laid Hinata down on her bed, resting her head on her pillow. He took a step back and looked at her. She looked so at peace on her sleep.

"Thank you, Hinata." He warmly smiled at her and thanked her. With that, he stepped towards the window. He stopped for a moment to take a look at the full moon, glowing proudly in the sky. It looked inmense from where he was standing.

"Naruto." A whisper, soft and almost inaudible, came from behind him. Or at least that is what he thought. His eyes broadened as this sound made a shiver crawl up his spine, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He heard the sheets from Hinata's bed shuffling. He quickly rotated towards the room to see Hinata, still deep in her sleep, smiling and lying on her side, facing him. She had curled herself up a bit, bringing her legs closer to her upper body. Again, her cheeks were red, but only partly this time. She was being bathed in the moonlight's blue glow coming from outside. It made her hair shine. Naruto watched her with incredulous eyes. He was reminded of the time he had caught her naked in the waterfall, but there was something about the way she was looking right now that was a lot more pleasant, even inviting. In his mind, there was no way for him to wonder if she really did whisper his name or not, as he was deeply compelled by the beauty he was watching.

Naruto stepped away from the window and slowly crept towards her. He crouched down until he was looking right at her face. She was still smiling ardently. He wished her eyes were open so he could look into them. He studied her from head to toe; his eyes went down from her neck and bosoms, he followed the outline of her waist, which ended on her slender legs. For several times, he repeated this cycle. He kept at it until he found his hand reaching for her own. She grabbed it gently and rubbed his thumb on the back of her palm. With his other hand, he softly stroked her hair. He played with it by curling some of it with his finger. Hinata didn't move at all. It was as if Naruto was touching a gorgeous statue. He was almost in a trance, as he kept redoing those strokes and admiring her physique. He felt as if something, an urge different from anything he had ever felt before and couldn't explain, was taking over him. It made him feel a small fire being set inside of him, making his chest heavy. He got closer and closer to her face. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had stopped stroking her hair, but he was now gripping her hand more strongly as his lips were inched away from hers.

The weight in his chest soon became too strong and he returned to normal. He hadn't realized that he was sweating again. He rested one of his palms on his forehead and breathed erratically. He thought about the way he was feeling right now. It had been a revelation about himself. What he was doing, the way his body and mind had reacted, it was all becoming clear to him. A powerful feeling, stronger than anything he had ever felt before, had developed deep inside him and it was aimed at Hinata. It was like when he saw Sakura when he was younger, only it had been increased tenfold, maybe even more. This exposition of his own emotions confused him. It was as if he was now a new person and he had no idea who he was. All it took was one more look at the girl in her sleep for him to know what he was going to do. He smiled one last time at her and drew closer to her again. This time, he was closest to her cheek. He stopped just instantly and then laid a kiss right on it. It wasn't very long, but he poured a lot of his newfound happiness into it. That was all right for now. He got back up and left through the window, but not without closing it first, giving him a chance to take a final look at his new love.

"Oh, wow." He quietly said to himself as he started walking past the other Hyuga houses. The moment he stepped through the gate, he jumped high into the air with a yell of thrill as he raised his fist as if he had been victorious in a battle. When he landed, he made a small dance that consisted of high energy jumps, flips, and a large variety of acrobatic maneuvers. He continued this as he walked home.

Sakura and TenTen had taken care of Tsunade and were back spying on the blonde ninja. They saw everything. The look, the stroke, the kiss. They felt like for a few small seconds that Naruto, who never really understood a woman's mind, was now a natural at letting out his romantic side. While they thought that he was going to abuse of her by kissing Hinata in her sleep, he showed restraint and maturity, which wasn't something he normally showed. Both girls turned to each other with looks of disbelief.

"Did he just-?" Sakura started.

"Yeah, he did." TenTen answered.

"Who would've thought he could play it so smoothly?" The voice of another girl coming from right next to them made the girls yell flustered. They were back to normal when they saw who it was. She was dressed in black, save for a red cloth wrapped around her waist and another red cloth, much thinner than the other one, to tie a large fan to her back. Her hair was a dark tone of blonde, which was tied into four puffy tails behind her head.

"Temari! What are you doing here?" Sakura asked surprised.

"Who? Me? Oh, I'm here 'cause of him." She pointed at the ninja dancing and shouting on the street several blocks away. He was now singing as well. "I was on my way to visit your Hokage, but I got sidetracked when I saw him carrying a fainted girl on his arms. I mean, I had to see what's up."

"What's going on? Why are you here?" Sakura asked again.

"The Kazekage wants to have a word with your Jinchuruuki about his little problem."


	10. Chapter 10: In Bloom

I've always thought Naruto should have two soundtracks: one with music from the anime and one with songs that represent some of the characters on the show. I've told myself that part of the success of any artistic work on TV and television can be all about the music. While some nice epic orchestra is always nice, you just need something else sometimes. Sine Japanese pop music has always been hit or miss for me at least I made a short list of songs from artists out of that area. Here's a short list of what I've thought so far Ozzy Osborune's I Don't Wanna Stop, Jimmy Eat World's The Middle, The Pretenders' Don't Get Me Wrong, Steppenwolf's Born to be Wild, Survivor's Burning Heart, Ted Nugent's Cat Scratch Fever, ABBA's Money, Money, Money, Foo Fighter's The Pretender, Whitesnake's Here I Go Again, Queen's Don't Stop Me Now… That's all I got so far.

I'll let you guess which one fits whom.

**CHAPTER 10: IN BLOOM**

"Master, are you awake?" Kabuto knocked on the door to Orochimaru's dormitory.

"What is it?" The raspy, slithering voice answered from the other side. Kabuto opened the door and walked in. His master was in bed, wrapped in bandages from head to toe under his ragged clothes, except for the right side of his face. Still, his condition had advanced substantially in a short time. He was connected to different monitors in the room, showing his recovering progress. There was a chair next to his bed, which had a cane hanging on its side.

"The first subjects are complete." Kabuto informed. "These are the first to have no negative side effects when exposed to the serum."

"Good to hear that." Orochimaru said as he tried to get up and reach for the cane.

"Don't strain yourself, master." His servant approached him and helped him up. He handed him his cane. Orochimaru grunted with effort as he struggled to move. Kabuto tried to help but he was cast away with a shake from his master's arm. He had no option but to patiently follow his pace.

They arrived to a balcony where they could look down into an arena. A thick layer of glass stretched from one end to the other.

"I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised." Kabuto said to Orochimaru. He only responded by increasing the seriousness in his stare at the battleground below. Barred gates at the ends loudly cranked open with the sound of rattling chains. For a moment, there was stillness in the air. Not long after that, heavy footsteps from below made the building tremble. The closer they came, the louder they sounded. Deep grunts like the growl of a fearsome beast were heard to be coming. Orochimaru and Kabuto witnessed how two large fowl-looking creatures made their way in. They were dressed in dark armor that covered them from neck to calf, leading to a pair of heavy boots. Their skin was gray and scaly. Their eyes were deep red with a small black circle in each of them. This caught Orochimaru's attention fully. Looking compelled, he turned towards Kabuto, who was smiling while his glasses shined.

The two monstrous beings eyed each other with menace. They snarled at each other with blood lust, as if all their humanity was nonexistent. They bared their long fangs as they circled the ground while keeping their eye on their opponent. They both roared and charged forward. There was a glisten and a slight flinch in both their eyes that made them react as they drew closer. They both followed each other's movements in detail, so much so, that they clashed with locked fists. They both jumped back and attacked again. They wildly continued throwing punches, most of which connected, but bounced back. They soon turned to using their teeth at their throats. The little enthusiasm in Orochimaru started fading away as he watched the cannibalistic display.

"What do you think?" Kabuto asked.

"They're nothing but mindless brutes." Orochimaru stated with discomfort.

"Be aware that these are just prototypes for average foot soldiers. They still have some fine tuning to go through."

"What else you have for me?" Orochimaru snapped back while maintaining a relative calm. Kabuto could understand that this was all due to his physical loss.

"They will all be well-armed and prepared for intense combat. The ones to come after these will be your captains, your lieutenants, and your deadliest weapons."

"In this condition, they are no match for an average chunin."

"I'm sure that the results to come will be more of your pleasing, master."

"I trust that they will, Kabuto." Orochimaru said as the battle below concluded. One of the monsters had knocked the other down and stomped his head in with his boot.

"Nice touch." Orochimaru thought out loud. "Definetely not my style, but effective anyway."

"That brutality was one of my own personal additions."

"When will _my_ serum be ready?" Orochimaru asked while looking at Kabuto through the corner of his eye. Kabuto was almost afraid to answer.

"I'm…sorry, Master. If I have to meet the conditions you have set for me, it will still take some time." A drop of sweat crawled down his forehead as he spoke.

Orochimaru sighed. "Oh, well. I guess it can't be helped." He said with a smile. Kabuto noticed it was the first in a very long time. He knew he was feeling better now.

"There are many things you should consider when you handle such delicate situations. You wouldn't want to miscalculate on anything so you could put your master's life at risk, right?"

When Kabuto looked at his master again, the grin on his face had widened. He could feel he was toying with him.

"Y-Yes, master." He answered with a shaky voice.

"Very well." Orochimaru said as he turned around and gently made his way back to his room. "As long as you test it on yourself first, everything should be fine."

Kabuto took one last look at him before he disappeared into the shadow of the corridor. He couldn't see his face, but he was sure he was smiling withwickedness. He felt like he did trust him to fulfill the orders he had declared to him.

"I understand, master." Kabuto kneeled as a goodbye to Orochimaru and jumped from the balcony to the arena to deal with the winning tyrant.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hinata felt the warmth of sunlight in her eyes waking her up. She slowly opened her eyes and rubbed them with her fingers. She blinked several times and looked around. She had almost forgotten what had happened last night. She didn't remember coming back home. The last thing she could recall was being alone with Naruto in a small closet. In a way, it was almost bizarre to find herself in her room. She thought that it might have been Naruto who brought her there, but she was still worried over the possibility that he might have been caught by someone. She got out of bed and opened her window. She felt the soft breeze blowing on her hair, which was a bit messy. She looked down at the grass by the wall and saw trails of footprints, all of them the same. The first trail ended by the wall of the house while the other was directed away from it. This calmed her fears as she exhaled in relaxation. She then found herself staring at the sky, watching the sun rising over the faraway horizon, covering the land with its radiant beams. The golden light shooting out from it looked like a mane of blonde hair.

"Naruto…" She whispered. She slowly raised her hand to the height of her cheek and gently rubbed it with her index. She could perceive a lukewarm, soft feeling in it.

She remembered the dream she had last night. She was being embraced in Naruto's arms while he rested his head on her shoulder. He was holding her at the waist with one hand while stroking her hair with the other. She was hugging him back as if she would fall if she let go. She could remember gripping the back of his jacket tightly, shortening the distance between them. In his ear, she whispered how much she had desired to have a moment as perfect as that. She remembered how he turned his head and laid a kiss on her cheek. It was the most wonderful sensation she had experienced up to that point. She pulled back from Naruto just enough to see him eye to eye. With her hand, she delicately stroked his cheek and then moved up to his hair. Naruto was looking at her with a smile and eyes of desire. No words were needed to be said. She was charmed by this look. She could feel that her body was now acting on its own. She started leaning forward, closing her eyes opening her mouth up to a small crack. Naruto did the same. Hinata once again wrapped her arms around the boy she adored. Naruto's hold on her increased as well. Her mind was racing and she felt her heart beating against the inside of her chest. And then, the-

Someone knocked on the door, interrupting her daydream.

"Hinata, are you awake?" It was Hanabi's voice.

"Uh- Yes, I am." She was a little startled.

"Are you dressed?"

"Uh-huh." She answered. "What is it?"

"A friend of yours is looking for you downstairs. She says it's urgent."

"OK, I'm coming." Hinata closed the window and opened her bedroom door. Her sister had already started down the stairs. She followed closely and descended as well down to the lobby. As she made her way to the main doorway, she saw Neji with his back to her. It sounded as if he was talking with somebody. When he heard her cousin's footsteps getting closer, he turned around to face her, exposing Sakura. Her serious expression made her stop dead in her tracks. She could already deduce her motives for visiting her house. Neji's equal expression of seriousness, only with much less grief, wasn't helping her for comfort.

"Lady Tsunade wants to talk to you." Sakura said.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

'Kyuubi? Kyuubi, are you there?' Naruto asked inside his head. He was standing with his back to the wall of a building. Through a corner, he peaked at another building several blocks away, the one where his apartment is. He could see that the guards had been changed since he left. This time, it was Choji and Asuma.

'Come on, Kyuubi! Answer me!' He thought with anger. 'We need to talk!'

'_What?'_ the thundering, annoyed voice of the demon finally answered his call.

'Listen, how-'

'_You want me to help you get back in there without being noticed? Sorry, but for that, you'd have to be invisible.'_

'I know, but that's not why I called you.'

'_Then why?'_

'C' mon, as if you don't know. I've been trying to talk with you about it for a long time but you haven't answered. What the hell gives?'

'_You're talking about the fight with the Hyuga's lord, aren't you?'_

'Yeah. According to what Grandma Tsunade said, you approached Hinata and you didn't even try to hurt her. And then, you defended her from the other ninja. Why?'

'_Hmm…' _The fox grumbled. _'If I didn't know better, I'd say you are disappointed.'_

'The hell I am! Pervy Sage once told me that when you take over, you can't tell the difference between friend and foe. Why did you protect her?'

'_I don't know.'_ The demon took no time in answering.

'What do you mean you don't know?' Naruto asked with confusion and frustration.

'_I just' don't!' _He was now really ticked off. _'I don't know why I did that! It just happened.'_

'How could something like that "just happen"? What were you thinking when it happened?'

'_I can't remember.' _Again, he answered almost immediately after Naruto finished the question.

'Tell me the truth, damn it!'

'_I keep telling you I don't know! I was just not being myself at the time. I don't know what it was that made me do what I did, but it happened. You shouldn't be asking _me _this.'_

'Well, nobody has any idea of why didn't you attack her. If there was someone I was hoping would tell me it was you.'

'_Well… there's this one thing.' _Kyuubi said, now more relaxed.

'What is it?'

'_When I looked at that girl, I didn't feel I should attack her__.'_

'Why?'

'_It's something I can't describe, exactly. There was something about her that…' _Naruto heard him sigh. _'It was as if this thought was continually coming to me. This thought was telling me that I should protect her. It was all new to me… I was being-'_

"Well, if it isn't nice to find you here." Jiraiya's voice made Naruto go frozen.

"I knew they wouldn't keep you in there for long. How'd you get out?" He said it in an inviting tone, as if he wasn't angry at all. Naruto rigidly turned around to see his old teacher's head towering over his and his white mane descending down to his hip. Jiraiya realized his shocked stare.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's not important anymore."

Naruto's focus was back.

"What do you mean 'not important anymore'?'"

"It's better if I show you. Come on, I'll take you to Tsunade's office." He said as he started walking back from where he came. Naruto continued standing where he was, looking more petrified than before.

"What's with you?" Jiraiya turned to see Naruto turning to his side, looking as if he was staring at a dead body.

"Oh, it's- it's- nothing. Let's go." He said with a quiver in his voice. Jiraiya looked at Naruto with skepticism. He turned around again and shrugged.

Naruto and Jiraiya had made it to Tsunade's office. There was no audible noise coming from the other side.

"She'll explain everything to you once you get in. It's safe to warn you that she's not in a good mood right now." He said as he opened the door and they walked in. The first thing that raised Naruto's interest was not Tsunade herself, but the other people in the room. Besides Shizune, who was standing next to her boss, there were Sand Shinobi in the room. Temari was standing with her back to the wall, pushing against it with her foot. Her fan was rested next to her against the wall as well. Then, there was Kankurou, who was standing by Tsunade's side.

"Hey, there." Temari greeted Naruto with her usual little smile. "Long time no see, huh?"

Naruto couldn't answer since he was too distracted by Tsunade, who was looking at him with tired eyes while holding a bag of ice next to her head. He couldn't help but remember what happened last night. He struggled under his breath to hold back a laugh.

"What's up with you?" Temari asked Naruto with a raised eyebrow. The boy was now turning away from everyone while covering his mouth.

"N-Nothing, I, uh- thought I was gonna sneeze." He shook his head and straightened up.

"Come closer, Naruto" Said Tsunade. Her voice was tired as well. The boy obliged. The feeling of being helpless came back, but he still doubted if his prediction was accurate due to the presence of sand ninja in the room.

"Look, I'm gonna do this as quickly as I can. We've been trying to keep the news about your outbreak as tight as we could, but that hasn't been possible. The word about the breaking of the seal holding the Nine-Tails inside you is spreading across the continent like wildfire. Many countries are concerned about the possible full unleashing of the demon, so they are taking all necessary precautions. They are starting to put together their armies and are ready to go to war with you if it calls for it. The Sand Village however, is concerned in a much different way. The Kazeage is worried about your condition."

For a brief moment, Naruto remembered the last time he saw Gaara. It was always pleasing to hear from him.

"You have helped him and his village many times before and they have returned the favor. Now, they want to help you. The Kazekage is willing to take you in as his student to teach you how to suppress the demon. Jiraiya will be there too to help you out, too."

Naruto at first felt enthusiasm by this, but then he remembered that it was the Nine-Tailed Fox they were talking about.

"But, wasn't the seal holding Kyuubi inside me made by the Fourth Hokage?"

"Yes, we know." Tsunade answered. "To be honest, we are at our limit of ideas to help your condition. Not even Jiraiya can figure out the way to keep the seal from breaking. After talking with Temari and Kankurou, we have come to the conclusion that the best way to help you now is by receiving help from someone who knows about your condition better than anyone. You need the help of another Jinchuuriki."

"I see." Naruto said. There was a certain spark in his eye. He was glad that he was going to see his old friend again.

"Now, the reason why Temari and Kankurou came here was not just for delivering the Kazekage's message, but they were asked to be your escort to the Sand Village. I don't need to tell you why it is necessary. Here's where I disagreed. I want to take all necessary precautions as well. I have assembled an escort made up by some of your friends. They, as well as Jiraiya, will go with you and the sand ninja to watch your back. They will be waiting for you at the village's gates before sunset. We don't know how much time you'll be spending over there, so we'll give you some time to pack anything you need before you leave."

"Who'll be escorting me?" Naruto asked.

"You better see it for yourself. Now, you are dismissed."

"Come on, Naruto." Jiraiya signaled as he left through the door. "You better get ready."

"Right." Naruto followed with Temari and Kankurou behind him. They shut the door as they left.

"He looked a bit tense, don't you think?" Shizune asked Tsunade. Her boss only sighed.

"I'm getting too old for this." She said.

"It's been a long time since I've seen Gaara. How's he doing?" Naruto asked the sand ninja as they walked the halls of the Hokage's building.

"Well, not much." Kankurou answered. "Just his usual self."

"So why did he decided to help me?"

"Well, he still kinda owes you guys after what happened with the Akatsuki."

"Does he know how to control demons?"

"We don't know."

"What?" Naruto asked, almost with letdown.

"He just gave us the order to come here and take you to our village. We know as much as you do."

"But, how do you even know if he can help me?"

"We're all just going to have to trust him." Temari answered this time. "I'm sure he knows what he's doing."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. But, although…"

"What?"

"Dealing demons has always been dangerous and complicated. Even if he does know what he's doing, we don't know how long it's going to take. Your condition may worsen as he tries to help you. This could take weeks, even months."

"You mean…I might not see the village again for a while?"

"Could be."

Naruto was not happy at all with the sudden news. His stare went blank and he dropped his head. He was starting to think he may not be back for a very long time. Maybe even longer than when he was training with Jiraiya.

"Don't worry, Naruto." Jiraiya patted his back. "I'll be with you two, so don't worry. We'll see this through before you know it."

Naruto looked at his teacher with respect. Besides his obvious obnoxious problems, he still looked up to him as a great ninja.

"Now, how about some breakfast? My treat." He told the trio walking with him.

"You got it." Naruto was filled with undeniable glee.

"A treat's a treat." said Temari. Kankurou nodded in agreement.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Naruto cleaned his apartment when he was done packing. He swiped the floors and picked all the dirty clothes and garbage off the floor, placing each in their respective place. The last thing he did before leaving was making his bed. In his backpack, he had enough clothes for a week, the little money he had left, some boxed lunches and his ninja gear. He threw it over his shoulder and gave his apartment one last look as he left through the door. He made his way down and headed for the road towards the main gates of the village. He stopped to look at the route behind him. That was the one that crossed with the Hyuga district.

'I may not see her again for a while.' He thought. He turned around and trotted down that road.

'_Where are you going?'_ Kyuubi asked.

'What's the matter? A little too eager to go to the Sand Village?' Naruto replied. 'You know, you've been sounding like a much nicer guy since the first time we talked like this.'

'_That's not important. You're going to say goodbye to that girl, aren't you?'_

'I just wanna check on her after what happened last night. Got a problem with that?'

Kyuubi's answer took a while to come.

'_No. Why?'_

'Just asking. But seriously, what happened to the angry Kyuubi?'

This time no answer came at all. The only thing he could hear was the silent echo of his breathing.

'Come on, man! Don't be a jerk.' He scoffed.

When he arrived at the Hyuga Lord's house, he knocked on the door. He waited for someone to come, but there was no answer. He knocked again, but the same result occurred. He put his ear to the wall to check if someone was there, but the inside was dead silent. He circled the building and looked for Hinata's bedroom window. He climbed the door and patted the glass.

"Hinata, are you there?" He asked out loud. Her room was rid of any people. "Hinata, it's me." He spoke and knocked on the glass again, but it was no use,

"No one's home?" He asked himself depressed. He jumped off the wall and started walking back towards the village's gates. He hung his head as if he was defeated in battle with his hands in his pockets.

At the entrance, the small crowd that made Naruto's escort was gathered. He could see Jiraiya and Kakashi at the very front. Among them were the Sand Jounin, Neji, Rock Lee, Yamato, Sai, and Sakura. Naruto noticed how she quickly turned her eyes away from him and into another direction before his own eyes made contact with hers.

"Hey Naruto, you're late." Jiraiya said while waving his hand. "Come on, we're gonna fall behind schedule." Naruto hurried up at his signal.

"Sorry. I had to take care of some…personal stuff." He thought of his excuse. "So, are we ready?"

"Not quite. We're still missing some people."

"Who?"

"Sorry we're late." An unmistakable voice coming from behind made his back shiver and his heart beat faster. He turned to see Hinata slowly running towards him with a backpack over one arm. Behind her, Neji, Tsunade and Shizune approached as well at a much slower pace. Tsunade looked like she was now feeling better.

Hinata stopped in front of the young blonde.

"Are you ready, Naruto?" She asked with the same tone she would use when they would leave for a mission together.

"Wha-? I mean, you- you are-" He was stammering. He wasn't expecting to see her there. She gave a confused look to his reaction.

"Oh, uh I mean-," He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Sorry we're late, Master Jiraiya." Neji bowed his head to the Sannin. "We had to go see my uncle before we left." This comment gave Naruto an uncomfortable chill. He gulped.

"Don't worry. Naruto just got here too."

"Alright, listen up everyone." Tsunade announced in a resounding voice. Everyone turned their attention to her. "Here's the situation. When you arrive at the Sand Village, you will all be the Kazekage's guests of honor. The escort's mission while there will be to patrol the village and look out for any enemy threat. Now that Naruto is leaving the village, Itachi Uchiha could use this to his advantage."

"Tsunade, I think you're forgetting he's traveling with me again." Jiraiya interrupted.

"But still, you are supposed to help Naruto and the Kazekage look into the sealing of the Nine-Tails. Besides, now that Itachi has the combined abilities of his former associates, we don't know how much stronger he has become. While you're busy at work, the others will be on the lookout for any threats. We don't know what we'll be dealing with, so like I said before, I'm not taking any risks."

"Yeah, OK." Jiraiya answered with a bit of disillusionment.

"Anyway, I've already informed all off you that you may not come back here for a long time, so I hope you cleared up any unfinished business here. Good luck to all of you. You're dismissed."

"Yes, ma'am." Everyone answered in unison. They all gave her their backs and started off.

"And Naruto…" She spoke to the genin before he left. They looked at each other in the eyes.

"Be careful…and do your best." Tsunade said in a tone of voice Naruto hadn't heard her use in a very long time. A tone that was passive and caring, in the way a mother speaks to her child. Naruto responded with a thumbs up and a wink of his eye.

"You got it, Grandma." With that, he turned around and regrouped with his friends. Hinata and Lee had fallen behind a little so he could catch up with them.

"Let's all do our best, Naruto." Hinata said to him encouragingly. Lee gave him a thumbs up and a smile. His teeth glistened.

"Right." He said grinning. "Let's go." The three of them hurried to catch up with the others. Neji looked at them over his shoulder as he walked right in front of them. Sakura, who was up ahead, could only see what was happening through the corner of her eye.

At the gates, Tsunade and Shizune stood there, looking at the team up ahead slowly disappearing towards the horizon. The sky was dyed with yellow and orange as the sun was setting. Tsunade still had her eyes on Naruto.

"Some things never change, don't they?" She thought out loud.

It would take the group two days to get to the Sand Village. They were all familiar with the road so directions were not a problem for anybody. At the very front was Naruto, excited as always when on the road. Behind were Jiraiya, Kakashi, Lee, Yamato and Sai. Behind them was the rest of the group. They traveled in between the trees canopies, as they usually did. Neji increased his pace so he could catch up to Naruto.

"Listen, Naruto." His voice was as serious as always. "The only reason I'm here is to take care of Hinata. Those are direct orders from my uncle. I don't need to tell you why."

"He doesn't trust me around his daughter, I know." Naruto said. Neji detected a sense of humor in the way he answered. He knew it was a joke, but he still knew that he was understanding what he was saying.

"To be honest, I'm completely against having to go through with this when it's not by my own free will, but I have to obey if orders are coming from him. Don't worry, you can talk to Hinata as if nothing's happened, but if you go over the top again, I will protect her at all costs from you. Understood?"

"Protect her?" Naruto looked at Neji as if he thought he wasn't aware of what he was saying.

"Yes, protect her from you and the demon. You very well know we will all have to fight you if necessary, even her." He turned towards Hinata, who was looking at them from behind. She quickly looked away when she saw her cousin's glare.

'I wouldn't count on it, Neji.' He thought to himself.

The group was able to cover a good part of the way before the sun was completely gone. They found a clear space to set camp in the forest. Yamato used his wood element jutsu to create a cottage big enough for everyone right in the middle of the clearing. They made a fire outside and ate their dinner there. When they were done, they stepped in to get some rest. There was enough room for everyone to choose a space of their preference to lay down their sleeping bags. Naruto got inside his as soon as he was on the floor. He took off his sandals and his headband and fell asleep just seconds later. Everyone got comfortable and tried to get some sleep as well.

It was dead silence when night fell. The only sound from outside was the chirping of crickets. The almost complete silence was broken by silent footsteps on the hard wood floor. The sound was then followed by a door opening and then by more footsteps, only now in the dirt. Hinata, who had been having trouble to get to sleep, was awoken by this sound. She looked around in the blackness, looking at the many bulges his companions formed on the ground. She could see one of the sleeping bags was empty, which was Naruto's. She got up, adjusted her jacket's zipper and collar, and silently stepped over the others. She shut the door quietly and followed the trail Naruto left.

There was an unseasonable cold outside in the woods. Hinata could see her own breath as she walked. The thickness of the trees made it difficult to see the sky inside the forest. Up ahead, she could hear Naruto mumbling to himself. He was sitting under a tree that stuck out among the ones around it. She snuck behind one close to Naruto and tried to listen to what he was saying. He was scratching his head, looking up and down. It looked like he was having trouble thinking of something. Hinata tried to step closer, but after her first step forward, she heard a snap. She looked down and saw she had stepped on a twig. She gasped quietly and nervously tried to hide behind the tree. She hadn't realized she was blushing already.

"Hinata?" Naruto asked out to her. She knew know he had seen her before she hid. She stepped from behind the tree, trying to wipe the embarrassed look off her face.

"A-Are you OK, Naruto?" She timidly asked. "I heard you leave the cottage and I thought there was something wrong, so-"

"Don't worry." Naruto said. The voice he usually used to talk to her had always had a friendly, soothing way of talking, much like she did to everyone else. "I just have a lot on my mind. I couldn't sleep."

"What's wrong?"

"Don't worry about it." He said. "Go back to the cabin."

"Well, I've been having trouble sleeping, too."

"Really? Why?" Naruto stood up and walked towards her.

"It's about…" She hesitated before continuing. She was certain that her explanation would make him feel bad. She turned away to think.

"What is it, Hinata?" Naruto searched around her to look at her face. "What's happening?"

Strangely for her, Hinata didn't feel so uncomfortable when Naruto got near her. She thought it might have something to do with his concern for her.

"You see…" She started off slowly. "…I had a talk with my father and Lady Tsunade before we left. My father was really angry when he heard I was going to the Sand Village as your escort. Lady Tsunade explained that it would be a good thing if the members of your escort were people you got along with. She really defended us on her behalf. I don't think I've ever seen my father backed into a corner like that. She was very assertive."

"But, if he was so angry, why did you decide to come?"

"I didn't. Sakura recommended me to Lady Tsunade."

"What? She did?" Naruto was more awake than before.

"Yes. In fact, that's how I learnt about this whole thing. Just when I woke up, she was at my house and she told me Lady Tsunade wanted to talk to me. For a moment, I thought she had discovered what happened last night, but thankfully, it had nothing to do with that. She explained that Sakura suggested that you and I work well together. She was as skeptical as my father in the beginning, but she said that Sakura was dead serious about it. There was no way Lady Tsunade could say no to her."

"Wow. I thought she was mad at me."

"Why?"  
"Well…" Naruto remembered what happened the last time she saw her. Remembering her arms around him and that kiss that led to a sad discussion made him feel on edge. "It's…kind of a long story." There was a look in his eye suggesting he was in turmoil.

"I understand." Hinata comprehended his position. She was thinking about what might have happened with Sakura.

"By the way, Naruto," Hinata changed the subject. "I don't think I've thanked you for taking me back home last night. Did you have any trouble?"

"What? Oh, no everything was-" He remembered how enchanting she looked as she was laying on her bed with the moon shining on her as he tried to kiss her, which was very distracting.

"Everything was…fine." He said when after shaking that thought away. He realized that he suddenly didn't see Hinata as before. Instead, he saw her as he did last night. This made it hard for him to keep looking at her.

"You see, everyone was asleep so I just looked for your room from the outside, opened your window and left you on your bed. It was no problem."

"I'm sorry." Hinata said. "If I hadn't passed out, you wouldn't have had to-"

"It was OK. It's…" He cleared his throat again. "…perfectly understandable why you did." He bashfully looked around with deep red cheeks when he remembered feeling Hinata so close to him. She, meanwhile, twiddled her fingers while shifting her eyes around, with her face as red as Naruto's.

"How about we…forget what happened?" Naruto broke the unsettling atmosphere between the two.

"OK." Hinata answered. They agreed, but inside both of them, they felt like screaming.

"But, what happened after I passed out? How did we get out of the closet?"

"Grandma Tsunade let us out."

"What?!" Hinata shrieked. Naruto was a bit startled at how unusually loud it was, since it was coming from her.

"Don't worry. She was drunk as hell. She thought she was walking into her room, but it was the closet we were in. I don't think she remembers what happened actually."

"Oh, I guess that's why she was in such a bad mood this morning."

"Yeah. She was a little annoying, but she's still a pretty fun drunk, though. Makes me wish she went out drinking more often." He said with a little chuckle. Hinata smiled with his joke.

"Well, I guess that now that you've told me why you can't sleep now I should tell you what's up with me, huh?"

"You don't have to if you don't want."

"Don't worry. It's OK." He sat down and rested his back against the tree nearby. Hinata followed by example.

"You see, after finding no leads about my family last night, I've been trying to think of a way to get answers from Kakashi-Sensei and Pervy Sage. Right now, the only option we have is to get answers from them directly. I know they won't tell us just like that, but thankfully, I know their biggest weaknesses."

"Weaknesses?"

"Yeah. You see, Kakashi-Sensei is a big fan of the books Pervy Sage writes, but I don't think he's writing one right now, so I don't think I'll get him to tell me anything. Thankfully, Pervy Sage is much easier to make him talk. There are so many ways to do it."

"Like what?"

"He once told me about the three biggest vices a ninja has to overcome: alcohol, girls, or guys depending on who you are, and money. He can break all three at the same time."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's not like I call him Pervy Sage for nothing."

Hinata giggled.

"So, do you have a plan in mind?"

"Well, so far the only thing I've got is getting him drunk enough to tell me anything. But for that, I'll have to transform into a pretty lady and buy him drinks."

"Transform into a lady? Do you think you can pull it off?"

"Come on, I invented the Sexy Jutsu. If I can do that, transforming into an "easy" girl should be no problem?"

"But…what if he…?" Hinata was getting unsettled as she pictured the scene. "What if he wants to kiss you?"

"Don't worry. That's where I play hard-to-get."

"But, Naruto…" She was almost afraid of making things harder for him. "…aren't you and Master Jiraiya going to be busy working with Gaara?"

"That's a fat chance. I'm sure that at the first opportunity of a break, he'll sneak away and look for girls to get drunk with."

"But what about you?"

"Well, I could- uh, I- could use a shadow clone and transform it so it can talk with Pervy Sage for me." He thought quickly.

"I guess that could work." Hinata said, but another thought came to her after answering. "But what if something should happen to the shadow clone?"

"Come on, Hinata. Don't be so paranoid." Naruto said as if he thought Hinata was just messing around.

"But, what if something happens to the clone and it vanishes? I mean, if you're not going to be around to watch it…"

"Relax. It's not enemy territory. What could happen?" Naruto answered with a relaxed smile, but quickly wiped it away when Hinata's look of concern penetrated him.

"Oh, OK." He said while slightly moaning. "What can I do to make you feel more secure about this?"

"Well, maybe I could…" She started, "…I could…help you somehow?"

"How?"

"I could…" She went into her timid self again. "I could…get the answers for you, too."

"You want to get answers from Pervy Sage?!" He was beyond surprised she would volunteer for such a plan.

"I don't know, Hinata. I mean, don't you think this is a bit too much for you? I mean, no offense, but I don't think you're his type."

"But… I could still try." She didn't want to feel unhelpful.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I mean… I know I'm not that kind of person, but…" She was playing with her fingers again. "…if it's to help someone, then I could try."

"Hinata…"

"I'm glad that you're worried, but if this risk is necessary, then I will do it. Besides, you said we would get them to tell you the truth together, right?"

Naruto looked at her with a blank face.

"Well, you got me there. If you're gonna do this, you need to practice how you're gonna do it."

Hinata didn't seem so optimistic all of a sudden.

"Don't worry, since my clone will be with you all the while, all you'll have to do is follow it's lead. But still, we should go over a few things."

"Like what?" Hinata was as timid as ever.

"I have an idea. Here's what were gonna do. At the closest signal that Pervy Sage will ditch me and Gaara, I will go to the bathroom and ready a clone. It will watch Pervy Sage from a distance and see if he really is going to find some girls. If he does, my clone will come get you. Make sure that you're in your room near, I don't know, around nighttime. That's when he'll probably try to get lucky. The two of you will go to where he's at transformed as beaut- I mean, _older _looking women." He blushed a little when he corrected himself. Hinata looked at him curiously.

"Anyway, my clone will take the lead. It will get thinGs started with Pervy Sage and start talking to him and getting him drunk. When he's drunk enough, he's all yours."

"Just that?" Hinata asked a little disappointed.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well…" Hinata looked down. "I was thinking that I could…"

"Hinata, you don't have to go too deep on this."

"But, I do want to help you." Hinata was taking the same assertive position she had taken before.

"Are you trying to prove something to yourself?" Naruto asked. Hinata looked at him as if she had lost an argument.

"Hinata, you don't have to do this just to prove you can. You know what? I don't care if you really can't." Naruto's voice had a security that impressed the Kunoichi.

"I've told you before that I know who you are and it's just fine. You don't have to go that far." Naruto stopped when another thought interrupted him.

"But…" Naruto started. Hinata looked at him with interest again.

"…I could help you practice some lines and poses just to be safe. How's that?"

Hinata looked at him questionably and a little uncomfortable. It was definitely strange for a boy to teach a girl how to act like another.

"Oh, uh…" Hinata looked around nervously.

"Come on, there's no one watching. It's OK." He back up. The girl figured she should do as well. Naruto took several steps back and turned at her.

"Let's see what you got." He said. The girl just stood there frozen. Her red cheeks could be seen glowing in the dark.

"Alright, let me get you started. Try putting your hand on your hip." He said. Hinata meekly obeyed.

"Try tilting yourself a little to the side. Just a little." Naruto used his hands to better explain what he was saying. Hinata did as he said with a little bit of hesitance.

"OK, you're great just like that. Now, all you have to do is smile." He said. Hinata realized that she was now in the easy part of the process. She had no trouble now.

"Perfect. You got it." Naruto congratulated her.

"T-thanks." Hinata said. She was surprised that she wasn't feeling as awkward as she expected.

"You can use that when you get to say hello to Pervy Sage. OK, now you need to practice a line you can say to break the ice with him."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Something like 'How's it going, good-looking?' How about that?"

"Uh… I guess."

"OK, let's see." Naruto said, but Hinata wouldn't budge.

"Come on. What's wrong?" Naruto asked a little impatient.

"OK, here I go." Hinata took a deep breath. She almost had to focus to do this.

"H-how's it going, knew why.

"It's good, but you have to make it sound more inviting good-looking?" She said. Her voice was shaky.

"Hmmm…" Naruto looked at her as if he was a critic. Hinata, more you know, easy-going."

Hinata nodded. She prepared herself again and spoke,

"How it going, good-looking?"

"Wow, that's much better." Naruto said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think you got it."

"Thank you." She answered. "By the way, sorry if I was sounding a little negative about the plan."

"What do you mean negative?" Naruto asked as he returned to her side and sat back against the tree.

"Well, I just want to make sure the plan goes as best as possible." Hinata said as she sat next to him again.

"Don't worry about it." He said as he moved around a little to get more comfortable. "I think it's just fine that you want to help."

"I'm glad you think so."

The stillness of the night was still in full effect. The insect noises were gone and there was no breeze. Hinata felt that she and Naruto were really all alone.

"Say, Naruto…" Hinata was fidgeting again. "I was…wondering if…maybe…" Her face was scarlet again. "If you'd like maybe we could…you know…do something…together? I mean, if you want, but,-" She felt something heavy land on her shoulder. She turned to see Naruto's head right next to her, fast asleep. At first, she shrieked quietly and thought of moving, but she couldn't. Her body wouldn't allow it. Still, she felt perfectly fine. Feeling Naruto so close to him like they were right now made her feel bonded to him. It made her happy. She rested her head against the tree and watched him sleep. His face was entirely emotionless. It reflected a calmness that seemed that it would never come. She looked at him with a smile as she slowly closed her eyes.

"He looks so peaceful." A voice came from behind a tree in front of Hinata. She opened her eyes and looked in front of her, where among the darkness of the incoming forest was Sakura, poking her head from behind the tree. She stepped from behind and looked right at Hinata. If I wasn't for a small hint of sadness in her eyes, she would look completely neutral. Hinata was startled.

"Uh, we were just-" She got up after gently moving Naruto's head to the side. "We were t-"

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone." Sakura said. She sounded somewhat solemn. She got closer to the two and looked right at Naruto. He was deep in his own dreams now.

"We should all feel sorry for him. The last couple of days have been hell for him. He mustn't have slept in days. It's funny how even after all this he looks like nothing's happened."

She then turned to Hinata.

"Do you mind if we have a word in private?"

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked.

"Come on, we shouldn't wake him up." She signaled with her head and headed for the forest. Hinata followed her, unsure of her motives. She felt an ominous atmosphere surrounding the both of them.

Hinata was led into the thicket of trees. With little visibility, it was sometimes hard to follow Sakura. They didn't say a word during the entire walk. They soon got to an area where trees where less condensed and there was more lighting. Sakura rested against a tree and looked at Hinata.

"You look different." She said.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. You look more…happy."

"Happy?"

"Yeah. You don't look so much like you used to be. You don't look as shy as always."

"You think so?"

Sakura nodded. Hinata couldn't decide what she should feel about the situation.

"Naruto's always been like that." Sakura said. Hinata was getting an idea of what this was all about, which intimidated her a little.

"He has this mysterious inexplicable power. He makes people want to believe in him and what he says. He has the power to change the way people think. I never realized it until Lady Tsunade explained it to me." She stopped for a moment.

"I've heard that you're spending more time with Naruto." Sakura said, giving her back to Hinata.

"It's…not like th-" Hinata tried to explain.

"It's OK, I know. You want to help him become stronger and you're not afraid of the Fox. I'm happy for you, Hinata."

"Why?"

Sakura took a step forward. "You've been getting along with him better than, well, me. We've been a team for a long time, but I don't think I ever appreciated him the way you do."

Hinata could read between the lines of that last phrase. Her face turned fiery and looked down embarrassed.

"You really love him, don't you?" Sakura asked. Hinata only answered by standing there, looking unsure of what to answer.

"I'm sorry, but you have to admit it's kind of obvious."

"I guess you're right." Hinata admitted. "Does anybody else know?"

"Not that I know of." She lied.

"I'm a little ashamed to admit this, but I envy you and Naruto. I don't think anyone else saw him the way you always did. You could see what was behind that little goofy kid we knew back at the Academy. You never doubted him, even when everyone else did, including me. But what I envy the most is how brave he is. He's not afraid to face danger or a bad situation even if he knows it's difficult. You could say he just tries to defend his pride, but that's what has made him strong." She spoke as if she had thought over what she should say. She looked down for a moment. "I on the other hand…I don't ever think I'll be as strong as him. After the first outbreak, I tried to avoid him. What he said that day was harsh but true. I was being selfish all this time. I was hoping that he would bring back Sasuke. Even if I wouldn't even admit it to myself, I was disappointed in him when he didn't bring him back. I've tried to apologize, but after all that's happened, I don't think he'll ever truly accept it."

"Well…I could tell him for you." Hinata said. "I mean, if you want."

Sakura turned to Hinata and approached her until they were face to face. She looked into her profoundly. Hinata didn't know what to say or do. Sakura's behavior was difficult to read.

"You're too kind for your own good, Hinata." She said with gloom.

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked. Things took a more odd twist for her when she saw how Sakura's emerald eyes became watery. Tears started pouring down her face. She cried loudly as she embraced Hinata with a hug, laying her head on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry!" She said through her sobs. "I'm so sorry!"

"What's going on, Sakura?" Hinata asked.

"I've hurt Naruto so much and it's all because I'm jealous! I'm the one who told your father that he was with you!"

Hinata gasped perplexed.

"I was just angry because I wanted to apologize to Naruto so things between us would change, but now there was you! I only made things worse for everyone!" She resumed her crying.

"I'm the worst! I'm disgusting!"

"Sakura…" Hinata whispered. She didn't give much thought to what she was saying. She called out her name several times to get her to calm down.

"Sakura." She said while separating her from herself. She was holding her by the shoulders in front of her. The biggest surprise for Sakura is that Hinata didn't look mad. Her face was only serious, but then switched to a smile.

"You know what I think?" She started. "You did the right thing in telling me this. I understand that you wanted to set things right between the two of you. It's only normal that you'd be jealous. You've been a close friend of Naruto much longer than I have. Even if you did the wrong thing at first, something that hurt a lot of people, it takes a lot of guts to admit something as serious as jealousy to yourself. In the end, you wanted to fight it instead of running away from it and attacking someone else. This can help you become a better person, Sakura."

Sakura was moved by her short speech. She hadn't expected to be treated with that type of kindness, even if she was talking to a girl who's known for being introverted. Another small tear rolled down her face.

"Please…" Sakura's voice was still breaking. "Please Hinata…Naruto must never know about this."

"I understand." Hinata answered.

"So you're not mad at me?" Sakura asked a little afraid.

"Well…you did have your reasons." Hinata said. "But it doesn't matter since I guess I already accepted your apology."

"Hinata…" Sakura was stopping her crying. "…I need you to promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"I want you to take a chance with Naruto. I want you to be there for him always when he needs you. Be a better friend to him than I ever was. Let him have what he couldn't have with me. I want you to make him happy. He deserves someone like you in his life. I want you to promise me you will do all this." Sakura sounded like she was begging her to do it. Hinata only looked up, looking like she was thinking of something.

"What's wrong?"

"You know, Back when we just became Genin and were assigned into our teams, I was jealous at you because you were going to spend more time with Naruto than me. So now, you asking me this feels a little…awkward." That's all she said. Both girls looked at each other for a few seconds, only to end with another hug and a smile, only much friendlier than before.

"Thank you, Hinata." Sakura whispered. "You're a good friend."

"No problem." She answered back. "I think Naruto said that to me once."

Both the girls made their way back to the campsite. Hinata waved goodbye to Sakura near where Naruto was sleeping. He was now lying on the ground, curled up like a little animal.

"Naruto." Hinata gently patted his shoulder. "Wake up, Naruto. Let's go back inside." She kept at it, but Naruto didn't even move. Hinata looked down the path to the campsite and back to Naruto several times. She felt a little guilty to just leave him there all alone at night, so she decided to stay. She sat next to Naruto and rested against the trunk. She looked at the boy with loving eyes as she went over what she promised to Sakura. Somehow, knowing that someone was fully aware of her feelings gave her some security. She softly started stroking Naruto's spiky hair. He still didn't move.

"Good night, Naruto." She bent over and kissed him on his forehead, where his headband would usually go. She lay back against the trunk again and soon fell asleep too.

Not too far away from where they were resting, a tall figure lurked in the darkness, carefully watching them. He was standing on a branch, looking out on them. He wore a black robe with red clouds over it. The collar was large enough to cover half of his face, which showed deep scars that looked like an attack from a wild beast. His eyes were red like blood with small black spirals inside of them. He observed the charming scene with interest, taking a look at both of them. After a careful analysis, he disappeared into the night.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"WHAT?!" Ino loudly interrogated Ten-Ten, who was sitting in front of her. They were surrounded by the remaining members of the Konoha 11 in the village. They were all having dinner at the Barbecue place Team 10 would often visit. "HE KISSED HER?!"

"It's not like that. It was just on her cheek, that's all." Ten-Ten replied.

"OK, then what happened?" Kiba asked intrigued.

"Well, Naruto when back home singing to high heaven. I don't think he's not the type to play it cool. I mean, he must've felt like he just scored big time. But still, that was a pretty smooth move he pulled off."

"I can't believe it." Ino said while resting her elbows on the table and holding her head with her palms. "Who would've thought things would move so quickly? Do you know what this means?"

"You bet I do." Ten-Ten said. "If we're lucky, we're going to get a nice surprise when they get back to the village."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Hinata?" Hinata heard a familiar voice calling out to her. It sounded very close by.

"Hinata, it's time to get up." She felt someone was shaking her shoulder to encourage her to wake up. She slowly opened her eyes to be greeted with a grin from Naruto. He was wearing his headband again.

"Morning." Naruto said. Hinata blinked. She was obviously wowed to have him so close, but she wasn't as nervous as other times.

"You overslept, Hinata. Here, I saved you this." She handed her a cup off hot ramen noodles and a pair of chopsticks.

"Oh, thanks." She took the cup with gratitude. "Where's everyone else?" She asked.

"We're just getting ready to leave."

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Well, you looked like you could use the sleep." He smiled once more. Hinata answered by smiling herself. She slowly started eating away at the ramen. When she was done, she stretched her arms upward and got up. She and Naruto regrouped with the others and were on their way to the Sand Village once again.


	11. Update

OK, first of all, I would like to thank all the readers out there who have been supporting me with this fanfic because it's what makes me believe I should keep going with this. I'm just saying that working on a "personal project" can sometimes be difficult when your daily schedule is tight. Now, onto the bad news. I want to apologize to everyone for not updating the story in months. You see, I've been moving recently so I've been pretty much living out of a box right now with little to no access to my computer. Also, I've been struggling with what's to come in the story. To explain what I mean, I had to rethink an entire chapter twice before deciding on the version I'm working with right now. I think it's mostly because I've been checking the Naruto manga online and I've been following Naruto's fight with Pain. There's something important he learns from fighting him, you know, about how to bring peace to the world and such, which I think I can adapt into my story (Chapter 437 blew my mind. Check it out unless you watch the anime instead of the manga and you don't want spoilers. I highly recommend this or else you may hire someone to burn my house down with Molotov cocktails.) I know you may be disappointed to not find anything new after so long, but the least I can do is tell you little things about what you will see in Naruto: The Way of the Ninja. First of all, I will be introducing some characters of my own into the story, who will play a major role for Naruto's development and will reveal some new intentions for Itachi to find Naruto and Sasuke. Also, as I said before, someone will die. No details for you on that, sorry. But hey, at least I have some good news. You know this whole "pig" Influenza going on right now in the world. Well, the state government of Nuevo Leon (Mexico) has cancelled all levels of school until May 6th, which kinda sucks because they may close places like my gym or movie theaters next, right on time for me to miss the big premiere of the Wolverine movie (Damn paranoids). Why cancel classes when I have only like three weeks left of it before summer break? Anyway, I hope I can use this extra time to work on my story (and my fanart drawing skills). So please, keep yourselves posted. I won't let you down. And I'm serious about what I said about those spoilers, if you don't read the manga but watch the anime, stay away at all costs.

A. Crane


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